Nine email design best practices for 2025

Email is still one of the most effective channels for direct communication with your audience. But to truly capture attention, your email designs need to balance creativity with functionality, aligning with the latest trends and best practices. 

From responsive email design to email personalisation tips, let’s dive into a few key ways to fine tune your email campaigns for optimal engagement and conversions.

 

1. Create a mobile-friendly email design

Mobile email opens continue to dominate, and show no sign of changing. So it only makes sense to create a responsive layout for mobiles first to make sure your emails are as engaging on a phone as they are on a desktop.

  • Single-column layouts

Simplified, single-column designs keep content organised and easy to scroll through on smaller screens.

  • Optimised fonts and buttons

Increase font sizes to at least 16px and make buttons at least 44px high to accommodate touch interactions.

  • Load times

Compress images and limit large visuals to avoid slowing down the load time.

Preview your emails on different devices to confirm they display consistently, improving the experience and ensuring recipients can act on your calls to action (CTAs) quickly.

 

2. Keep it clean and focused

A minimalist, well-organised layout makes emails easier to read and navigate, keeping users’ attention on your key messages. Simplicity in email marketing templates not only improves readability but also highlights the most critical CTAs.

  • Clear hierarchies

Use headers, short paragraphs, and bullet points to make the information digestible.

  • Intentional white space

Effective use of white space helps direct attention to your primary message and avoids overwhelming readers.

  • One core CTA

Stick to a primary CTA and limit supporting links to avoid distraction and increase conversion potential.

 

3. Personalise thoughtfully

Email personalisation tips include more than addressing the recipient by name. With insights you learn from user data, you can make email content relevant to build a connection and improve engagement.

Abandon Cart Email 2
  • Dynamic content

Design and write your email to fit user preferences, purchase history, or geographical location.

  • Behaviour-driven content

Base your emails on actions like abandoned carts or recent purchases.

  • Audience segmentation

Send personalised emails based on specific user segments to give your message relevance. You can learn more about segmentation in our blog, How to achieve email personalisation at scale.

Tools that integrate with your CRM can help automate personalisation, making it easier to deliver targeted messages without overwhelming your subscribers with irrelevant information.

 

4. Enhance accessibility

To reach your audience, your email design must be inclusive. Think about people with visual impairments or other accessibility needs. Keep in mind that following email accessibility guidelines also enhances readability for all users, which strengthens engagement.

  • Descriptive alt text

Add alt text to images. This ensures screen readers can convey the content.

  • High contrast

Make your email easy to read - make sure you give sufficient contrast between text and background colours.

  • Semantic HTML structure

Use proper headings and structure to allow screen readers to navigate emails effectively.

Consider testing accessibility with tools like Litmus or Accessible-Email.org to catch design flaws and ensure readability for all users.

 

5. Dark mode compatibility

Dark mode compatibility prevents emails from looking broken or difficult to read. With more users choosing dark mode, optimising email for conversions in both light and dark themes is now essential.

  • Use transparent images

Transparent backgrounds adapt better to both light and dark modes, avoiding unintended ‘white boxes.’

  • Dark-friendly colours

Go with colour schemes that look good in dark mode, steering away from pure blacks and whites in favour of softer tones.

  • Dark mode testing

Preview emails in dark mode to identify potential design or readability issues.

This added layer of flexibility enhances user experience and reduces email fatigue.

 

6. Effective CTA buttons

A clear, engaging CTA button is absolutely essential in directing readers towards desired actions. The right CTA design can significantly impact click-through rates, making it vital to grab attention without being overwhelming.

  • Bold colours and contrast

Make buttons stand out with bold, contrasting colours.

  • Action-oriented text

Use concise, actionable language on buttons, like ‘Learn more’ or ‘Get started’.

  • Accessibility

Make sure CTA buttons are compatible with screen readers and include clear labels.

Making CTAs intuitive and visually appealing helps to increase click rates, as readers know exactly where to go next.

 

7. Use interactive elements carefully

Interactive emails are growing in popularity for their ability to engage users within the email itself. However, simplicity is key—use interactive elements that enhance the experience without complicating it.

  • Simple forms and polls

Add forms, polls, or surveys within the email to increase engagement and gather feedback.

  • Accordion menus

Great for content-heavy emails, collapsible menus help condense information without exhausting readers.

  • Add-to-calendar links

For event invitations, include calendar links that make it easy for users to add events directly from their inbox.

Interactive elements can enrich the experience, but they should be used sparingly to ensure compatibility across email clients.

 

8. Test for cross-platform consistency

We’ve already touched on this, but let’s take a deeper look. Since emails can render differently across email clients, testing for consistency across platforms is essential to avoid issues like broken layouts or unreadable text.

  • Email testing tools

Use tools like Litmus or Email on Acid to preview emails on multiple platforms and devices. We’ve put together a helpful guide to help you learn more: Purpose and benefits of email testing tools.

  • Flexible design

Avoid overly complex layouts or custom fonts that may not be supported everywhere.

  • Pay attention to Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)

Test how CSS, the code used to style HTML emails, renders across different clients, as some may not support all styles.

By ensuring compatibility, you can create a seamless experience for users, regardless of where they open your email.

 

9. Keep it short and sweet

Subject lines and preview text are your first impression and often determine whether recipients will even open the email.

  • Keep subject lines to no more than 50 characters

Some studies pinpoint 41 characters, and you can keep to that to play it safe. Carry out A/B testing, experimenting with different subject lines to see what resonates best.

  • Preview text 

This should provide additional context and further entice readers to open the email. How long should it be? That depends on the email client and the recipient’s device. So again, best to play it safe and keep it within 50 to 90 characters. 
  • Copy length

The length really depends on the type of email you’re sending. That being said, always feature a single, clear message with a prominent CTA. Your recipients are busy, so make it easy for them to digest and take action.

  • Promotional emails: 50 to 125 words, but the shorter the better.
  • Transactional emails: 20 to 100 words. Clarity is critical, as these emails serve a function, such as resetting a password or confirming an order. 
  • Welcome emails: 75 to 150 words. Keep it concise to encourage immediate action, such as next steps. 
  • Re-engagement emails: 75 to 100 words. Use a friendly tone and include an enticing CTA to reignite interest and make your brand relevant. 

Apply A/B testing to experiment with different subject lines and preview texts to see what resonates best. Find out what this means in our case study, Optimising user engagement with A/B testing.

 

Coming trends to keep an eye on:

  • Interactive, AMP-enhanced emails, which allow readers to engage directly within the email. Examples include RSVPing to events, participating in polls, or browsing product galleries.
  • AI-powered personalisation, which lets you tailor content in real-time, responding to user behaviour and providing highly relevant experiences.
  • Subtle animation, like GIFs or hover effects, adds movement and visual interest without distracting readers.

Stay ahead by reading our blog, 'Email Marketing trends that are set to shape 2025', for a more in-depth explanation.

 

Conclusion

A strategic approach to email design combines technical aspects with creative elements.

By integrating the best practices we have covered, and staying up to date with current trends, you’ll create engaging, user-friendly emails that keep your audience interested and drive conversions.

You might also find it helpful to check out our advice in our free eBook, Advanced email marketing tactics for eCommerce.

Find out more on how we can help you with your email campaign. Get in touch today.