Email will probably never die. However, the expectations for email design and functionality have shifted a pretty good deal over the years. What was once mostly text, and maybe some columns, has become its own interactive, visually rich medium. This post explores the current state of modern email template development, highlighting the latest trends and some techniques.
The Basics
Before diving into advanced features, it’s important to understand the fundamentals of email template development. The basic building blocks include choosing the right image formats, designing for accessibility and ensuring compatibility across email clients.
Image Formats: Choosing the correct image format is vital for ensuring your emails load quickly and display correctly across different clients:
- JPEG: Ideal for small-sized photographs but not suited for logos or areas with flat colors.
- GIF: Great for animations and simple logos but requires careful attention, as some clients will only display the first frame of the GIF.
- PNG: Offers lossless compression and supports transparency, making it a solid choice for logos and high-detail images. However, it’s not universally supported.
Accessibility: Email accessibility has become a hot topic, especially with an increasing focus on inclusive design. The key elements of accessible emails include:
- Alt text for all images, ensuring that screen readers can describe visuals.
- High-contrast color schemes to improve readability for visually impaired users.
- Font sizes large enough to be read comfortably on both desktop and mobile.
One emerging challenge in email design is dark mode compatibility. According to Email on Acid, more email clients like Apple Mail and Gmail offer dark mode, which can automatically invert color schemes. Designers need to test how their templates render in both light and dark modes to avoid readability issues.
Interactive Elements: Elevating the User Experience
The email industry has seen an exciting shift toward interactivity, moving beyond static text and images. While not all email clients support these advanced features, they are highly effective in enhancing engagement when used correctly.
Forms in Email: Embedding forms directly in emails offers a frictionless way for users to engage, whether it’s a survey or signing up for a service. Support for forms is mostly limited to Apple Mail, with some functionality available in Gmail. However, a major caveat is that some email clients may flag emails with forms as spam, requiring careful implementation.
Video Integration: While embedding video directly into emails has limited support (Apple Mail is a notable exception), fallback solutions like GIFs or static images with a play button can mimic the experience. According to Really Good Emails, this tactic is becoming more popular as brands strive to capture attention with dynamic content.
Helpful Tip
Use a fallback GIF for video content to ensure compatibility across email clients.Even clients that don’t support video will still display some form of animation.
Hover and Rollover Effects: These effects, commonly used on websites, have made their way into email design. Hover effects add an extra layer of interactivity, especially on desktop clients like Apple Mail. However, these effects are often lost on mobile due to the lack of a hover state in touch interfaces.
Toggle States and Radio Elements: One exciting trend is the use of radio buttons or toggle switches to allow users to change the content they see, directly within the email. For instance, users can select different product views or navigate between images. A good example of that is the Introducing Google Pixel Buds template. While this technique works well in Apple Mail and macOS Outlook, its support in Gmail remains limited.
Quizzes and Surveys: Interactive quizzes, like “Choose Your Own Adventure” emails, can boost engagement by inviting users to make choices within the email. A prime example of this is GoDaddy’s Find Your Ideal Site Builder template, which provide an engaging, tailored experience without the need for users to leave the email interface.
Advanced Techniques: Taking It a Step Further
Beyond basic interactive elements, modern email templates are starting to incorporate more advanced functionality that was previously only available on websites.
Timed Input and Email Games: By utilizing CSS animations and radio elements, it’s possible to create time-based actions within an email. For instance, an email could reveal new content after a user clicks on a particular element or allow users to play simple games. One really cool example of this is the Email Monks Can You Escape Your Fears template. This type of interactivity is still in its infancy, but it’s an exciting area of development.
Schema Markup: Google’s schema.org markup allows developers to add microdata to their emails, enabling actions such as RSVPs or tracking shipments directly from Gmail. These actions appear next to the subject line, offering a seamless experience that doesn’t require users to open the email. This feature is especially powerful for businesses looking to reduce friction in their customer journeys.
Helpful Tip
Leverage schema markup to make your emails more actionable.Users can interact with your emails without even opening them.
Ensuring Cross-Client Compatibility
One of the most significant challenges of modern email development is ensuring that advanced features work across a range of clients. With Apple Mail and Gmail dominating the market (holding around 50% and 25% of the market share, respectively), focusing on these two platforms is a safe bet. However, email developers must account for the various quirks of Outlook, Yahoo Mail and others.
Helpful Tip
Always test emails across multiple clients using tools like Litmus or Email on Acid.These platforms help ensure your email looks great everywhere.
Here are some key considerations for cross-client compatibility:
- Image Caching: Web-based email clients often cache images, meaning updates won’t be reflected immediately. Gmail is particularly notorious for this behavior.
- Fallback Strategies: When using advanced features like hover effects or video, always provide fallbacks. This ensures that users on less capable clients still have a functional experience.
The Future of Email Template Development
Email development is rapidly evolving, with new technologies pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Looking ahead, here are a few trends likely to shape the future:
- Personalization at Scale: With AI and machine learning, we’re likely to see more personalized emails that dynamically adjust content based on user preferences and behaviors.
- Enhanced Accessibility: As more companies prioritize accessibility, expect to see industry-wide improvements in how email clients handle alt text, color contrast and dark mode support.
- Interactive Emails as the Norm: What’s considered “advanced” today—like quizzes, polls and video content—may soon become standard features in email campaigns as more clients start supporting these features.
As email clients continue to improve their support for advanced functionality, developers have more tools at their disposal to engage audiences in new and creative ways. However, it’s essential to balance these innovations with accessibility to ensure that everyone can enjoy the experience, regardless of device or ability. By keeping emails simple, valuable and easy to interact with, you not only respect your audience’s time but also create a more inclusive, rewarding experience that resonates with a wider audience.