Targeted, Short and Concise: That’s the Recipe for Smart Email Design

This article is a part of our new series Inside APSIS, where we talk to our in-house experts about their views on digital marketing.

Is there a cookie-cutter formula for supreme email design? And how can you stand out in an oversaturated environment? Our email evangelist, Fredrik Wremerth, walks you through the hottest trends and highlights how you can make your emails shine.

“Email Isn’t Only About Attractive Design"

Fredrik Wremerth is the epitome of a true email veteran. With eleven years of experience at APSIS, he’s the Manager of APSIS Creative Services where he guides a team of email designers that design, test and crack code so you can send emails that truly hit home.

           “There’s a lot of noise in the inbox today. This means that you only have a few seconds
           to capture the recipient’s interest. Email isn’t only about attractive design, but also the
           degree of perceived personal relevance”, explains Fredrik Wremerth.

Fredrik is the equivalent of  APSIS’ Yoda when it comes to email design. However, his path down the road of email marketing was an unexpected one.

           “I’ve always been interested in design. However, my interest for email design grew as I
           started working at APSIS. Eleven years later, we can offer more than a decade of expertise
           in email design and email marketing”, says Fredrik Wremert.

“Bulk Emails Will Be a Thing of the Past”

With eleven years of email experience; what's Fredrik's view on the future of email design and email marketing? He explains that the most important thing to keep in mind is that we have a new generation of online readers that demand and expect simplistic beauty, responsive design and highly personalised content.

           “There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to email design. It’s not too uncommon people
           ask me for a straight answer, but then I counter with the question: for whom? The truth is
           that good design lies in the eyes of the beholder”, says Fredrik Wremerth.

A technology that's related to personalisation is marketing automation. With the help of the software, you can automate and tailor and target your emails to the individual’s real-time actions and thus expressed interest. The effect? The right content to the right person at the right time. But what impact will marketing automation have on email marketing? Fredrik responds:

           “Bulk emails will be a thing of the past. The industry is becoming increasingly data
           driven, which means that impersonal and generalised emails will be replaced by targeted
           emails with a high degree of personal relevance. It's all about – and will be about – accuracy
           and individual relevance."

Relevance and readability is key in the quest to conquest customer interest. Along these lines, Fredrik explains that colourful minimalism and clever graphical elements that navigate the reader to the website are the dominating trends in email design.

           “You need to take risks and optimise through A/B-testing. Generally speaking, you need
           to minimise the amount of text, use authentic images and create call to actions that draw
           visual focus on the intended next step on the customer journey. Targeted, short and concise;
           that’s the recipe for smart email design", says Fredrik Wremerth.

“Standardisation is Crucial for the Survival of Email Clients”

It’s hardly a secret that the preconditions of email design have been altered throughout the years. After all, email has transformed from a company-centric means of communication into a powerful and engaging tool that attracts, engages and converts customers.

           “The curve of development throughout the years is enormous. In 2007, there were only 
           three dominant browsers and a slim amount of email clients available. Today, we have a
           plethora of devices, servers and email clients that we need to take into consideration. And
           the smartphone is a key player in the development”, says Fredrik Wremerth.

Most digital marketers know how painstakingly frustrating it is that browsers, email clients and devices render code differently. As a result, it becomes paramount that you ensure maximal compatibility as recipients can receive a newsletter with a wide variety of appearances depending on where he or she reads an email. So, how does Fredrik and his team at Creative Services carry out the daunting task of email optimisation? He explains:

           “We have a room full of different kinds of smartphones, tablets and desktops with an array
            of operating systems, email clients and browsers that we use to test every template we
           create. That way, we can increase the probability that our customers' templates look good in
           most email clients and devices.”

Compatibility and a lack standardisation between email clients, browsers and devices has proven to be a great challenge for email designers and digital marketers alike. However, how likely is it that change will take place in the near future?

           “Microsoft and Litmus are working together in order to map out how the degree of
           compatibility can improve with the help of a standard. I believe that standardisation
           is crucial for the survival of the clients”, concludes Fredrik Wremerth.