42 HTML email design resources
Latest posts | Feed | By Mark Brownlow on July 28, 2008
I recently summarized the best HTML email resources in a private discussion list post and thought I'd expand here for public consumption.There are numerous such resources, of course, but these are among the more useful...do suggest others in the comments.
Overview articles, collections, guidelines
Email anatomy: outlines the structural anatomy of a marketing email and gives you a nice framework around which to hang your design approach.
How to code HTML email newsletters: Extensive advice on use of HTML, CSS, tables (or not) etc.
Campaign Monitor: First port of call for HTML email resources. Check out their blog and 2008 HTML email design guidelines.
The Principles of Beautiful HTML Email: Looks at what makes "good, modern HTML email design."
A designer's guide to HTML email: Advice given in the context of a newsletter redesign project.
Email design for mobile devices: Articles and links on how to approach design in the context of mobile email.
Coding an HTML Email: Three-part article on how to turn a design into HTML.
Design and layout: ...category at the BeRelevant blog.
9 best practices for email design: Another good overview, this time from Vdot Media.
6 easy ways to improve your HTML emails: Selected tips for newsletter publishers.
HTML email coding/delivery: Free 60+ page guide from MailChimp.
Standards and support
Email Standards Project: Working to get email client developers to support a set of minimum standards for HTML email. Includes details of how each of the main clients currently in use shape up in this regard.
CSS support in email: Extensive guide from Campaign Monitor.
Forms in email: Details on which clients support forms, from Mark Wyner and from eROI.
Multimedia in email: Collection of articles and links on best practices with regard to videos in email.
Animated gifs: Another roundup from Campaign Monitor, this time of which clients support animation.
Email templates
Michael Fasani: Sample code and rules for robust emails that he says work well in various display environments.
The Holy Mail: Glen Lipka's universal template, which also has an update.
MailChimp: Free HTML email templates, tested for cross-client conformity and with coding tips to boot.
Campaign Monitor: 30 free "safe" templates.
CarbonGraffiti: Ten "safe" templates in various formats (postcard, columns etc.).
CakeMail: Basic and advanced newsletter templates.
Checklists
The Email Experience Council: Their email design roundtable recently put together checklists for email coding and email design, which you can buy from their whitepaper room.
Email design tools
Design preview tools: Inbox Inspector, Campaign Monitor and
Litmus
Fingerprint: Gives you information on which email clients your subscribers are using.
Premailer: Converts CSS styles to inline style attributes, plus other features.
More preview tools here, most of which are part of wider testing and service packages.
Design inspiration
Spam Meltdown: Hundreds of screenshots of emails arranged by design and topic themes (e.g. "rounded corners" or "coupons").
Email Design Gallery: Showcase of attractive emails, arranged by layout and messaging type.
Retail Email Blog: Reviews and screenshots of emails from leading online retailers. Check the Design Hall of Fame.
Smith-Harmon EDM Review: Blog showcasing creative designs for retail emails.
The Email Wars | Email Design: Another marketing blog written by an agency, but featuring a range of good (and often cutting edge) design.
Make it Pop: More advice on (and examples of) creative email design and development.
MarketingSherpa's Email Award Winner Gallery: Details of the 39 winning email campaigns, selected for their actual success in driving action or reaching goals, rather than how pretty they are.
Image blocking
Image blocking and suppression in emails: Articles and links on how to design with blocked images in mind. (And get the t-shirt.)
Usability
Nielsen Norman Group: big report with email newsletter design guidelines from a usability perspective.
What about text?
Which is better? This post and this one list the reasons for and against text/HTML as your preferred format.
More on HTML/CSS in emails | Tags: email design, html email, image blocking, css in email
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5 Comments:
Great list Mark. But I feel compelled to leave my own list (a measly 14 compared to your 42) but useful nonetheless.
http://www.carbongraffiti.com/2008/03/10/14-email-marketing-design-resources/
By 
Jon Aizlewood, on
29 July, 2008
Oops, almost forgot - some more free (and safe, standards-compliant) email marketing templates are available at:
http://www.carbongraffiti.com/emailmarketing/emailtemplates.html
And CakeMail have just released a whole bunch, find them at:
http://www.cakemail.com/newsletter-templates
By Jon Aizlewood, on
29 July, 2008
Thanks Jon. I'll add those two template collections to the main post.
By , on
29 July, 2008
Informative post. Keep up the good job. Mah - search
By , on
03 August, 2008
Great resource for the avid email marketer, I'll add this to my bookmarks! Thanks for gathering all of this great info in one post.
By Curtis, on
09 August, 2008
