Three sides of the design equation

In all the justified excitement over the Email Standards Project, let's not forget that a shoddy email is still a shoddy email, whatever rendering standards may exist.

Fortunately, the same folk who brought us the standards project are on the ball there, too. David Greiner just authored a lengthy article on using inline CSS and tables for safe HTML email design.

He also goes into detail on delivery issues, such as sender reputation, feedback loops and authentication.

And there's more from his colleague, Mathew Patterson, too. Use this link to see Mat's slides and hear the accompanying audio from his recent presentation on "The future of email design."

Of course, in email marketing there are various constituencies contributing to the final product that goes out the electronic door. Unfortunately, communication between different contributors is not always ideal.

Help is at hand, though, from Jeanne Jennings. She offers marketers some tips on how they can provide creative folk with more useful, actionable and supportive feedback on designs and copy.

But even when we're one big cozy marketing family observing reliable HTML design guidelines, there's always a misanthropic pigeon nearby ready to ruin your newly-washed email.

And this pigeon is mobile email.

The media and blog worlds have gone a bit quiet on the implications of mobile devices for email design. But it's a super example of how changing email habits have direct implications for email marketing.

Two recent articles by Rajesh Setty caught my attention here. Although not specifically written for bulk commercial marketing email, his two-part post (one | two) on making emails mobile-user-friendly includes some interesting concepts you're sure to enjoy.

More on design and designing for mobile email | Tags: email marketing, wireless email, mobile email, email design, html email

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