Create Stunning HTML Email That Just Works!
A sign of an industry's maturity is the appearance of publications on niche topics within that industry. There are plenty of "How to do email marketing" books out, but none on the special foibles of HTML email design.
So Mathew Patterson fills a much-needed gap with a new 168 page book published by Sitepoint: "Create Stunning HTML Email That Just Works!"
Mathew hails from Campaign Monitor, an email marketing vendor with a focus on the design community (they are the brains behind FixOutlook.org and the Email Standards Project, for example). Which gives Mathew the credibility we look for in an author.
But how does the book shape up? Who should buy it? And what are its weaknesses and strengths? Read on...
Content overview
The book is clearly aimed at web designers looking to expand their skills and services portfolio to include HTML email design (though I'll argue later that others will benefit, too). And the content stays very true to that goal.
Chapter 1 is a basic introduction to the benefits of email and the basic types of email.
Chapter 2 talks about the broader planning process that goes into developing an email marketing approach, with a focus on goals. It gently introduces you to the differences between web and email design, particularly as this relates to the inbox environment. Then it starts the design planning process itself, which builds upon those goals and your planned content.
Chapter 3 continues the design process with tips on plain text email design before exploring the main differences and requirements for HTML email vis a vis website design.
It then outlines required email elements and the relationship between the email and the website or brand, identifies common template approaches, and discusses (and showcases) a gallery of inspirational emails.
Chapter 4 moves on to coding and the display problems encountered in email, reviewing the degree of support for different techniques, technologies and coding approaches. It ends by guiding you through the construction of a specific newsletter template for a theoretical website.
Chapter 5 explores permission and deliverability issues.
Chapter 6 looks at adding HTML email design services to a design service portfolio, particularly how you might price, pitch and promote such services.
Strengths
The core strength is that we finally have a book that outlines very clearly how email design differs from website design, highlighting the safe way to design and code emails so they are not destroyed by image blocking or the idiosyncrasies of email software.
What the author does very well is allow designers brought up on websites and plain text mail to understand the value of HTML email and the philosophy behind HTML email design.
He also encourages designers to appreciate the purpose, scope and operating environment of email marketing as a whole.
So as well as educating the reader on key aspects of HTML email coding and layouts, the book has two further benefits.
First, it minimizes the danger of the virgin HTML email designer falling into the trap of transferring website or print design concepts 1-to-1 to email.
Second, it also ensures that design is goal-oriented...where design is related to achieving the objectives of sending the email in the first place.
The writing style is very clear and the author does a great job of guiding you gracefully through the process of planning, coding and testing your templates and designs.
This is all helped by good use of examples and screenshots. The book also comes with a set of templates and code files, saving you the trouble of retyping everything out yourself.
Weaknesses
Any weaknesses are largely down to the scope of the publication, rather than the content.
The chapters not specifically about design inevitably fall between two stools. It's hard to cover permission and deliverability issues, for example, in a few pages without getting into jargon: there might be too much for newcomers and not enough for those with more experience. More links to in-depth web resources might help here.
Indeed, I'd have liked to see an appendix with a big heap of links to many more of the great email design resources out there.
There is a clear focus on newsletter design, though of course many of the principles apply equally to single-focus promotional emails, too.
This is where the issue of scope comes in. This is a fantastic book for understanding HTML email design from a pragmatic, nuts and bolts perspective: coding tips and differences from CSS-dominated web design.
Its focus is not on optimizing design for persuasion, which is a different discipline. That's not a criticism, just a clarification. Though, as I mentioned above, the author does ensure the reader doesn't lose sight of the need to build design around goals.
Inevitably nuances can't be tackled in depth in a single publication. I could argue about the role of permission reminders, for example, which are listed as an essential element of an email.
That would be nit picking and the good news is that the book's guidelines are a great foundation on which to build out your own expertise, through experience and further reading, so you can break and bend the design rules when appropriate.
Should you buy it? Who should buy it?
When you consider that many email marketing (e)books sell for several hundred dollars, $30 for "Create Stunning HTML Email That Just Works!" has to be money well spent.
The book is pitched (accurately) at web designers looking to add HTML email design to their service portfolio, but a wider audience would benefit from reading it.
If you work with email designers, the book can help you evaluate their competence and output. It also gives you a better insight into the complexities of their work. You might also gift them a copy (particularly chapters 2 to 4) so they have a solid framework around which to develop their own expertise.
Disclaimer: I've had previous financial and personal dealings with both the publisher and the author's employer. Campaign Monitor once sent me t-shirts. I'm a Sitepoint affiliate and have worked as an editor on their Email Marketing Kit.
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