What is email design?
Email design refers to the visual appearance, structure, and usability of an email. Good email design makes it easy for employees to quickly read and understand a message and know what action (if any) they need to take. The design of an email includes the layout, headings, colors, fonts, photos, illustrations, and interactive elements like buttons and links.
What is email design in internal comms?
Unlike marketing emails, the goal of internal comms design isn’t to sell something; it’s to make work-related information clear, accessible, and engaging—keeping employees informed and connected.
What is responsive email design?
Responsive emails automatically adjust their layout to display optimally on any device or screen size. Responsiveness also means that the elements of the email function correctly, regardless of whether a recipient opens the message on a desktop, tablet, or phone. Since most employees check email on mobile — often first thing in the morning — if an email isn’t responsive, they may miss important details.
Why is email design important?
For internal comms emails, design matters because a well-designed email can help employees quickly scan headlines, understand the message, and retain what matters. Conversely, a poorly designed email can leave employees confused, frustrated, or misinformed. Good design also ensures that every employee, regardless of device or ability, can read and act on a message.
Email design best practices for engaging employees
If you want to make your internal comms more engaging, consider how to leverage design beyond a compelling headline. Here are seven cool email design ideas to get you started.
1. Prioritize scannability.
You want to design your emails so employees can grasp the key points in seconds. For the highest readership, PoliteMail finds that the optimal message length is typically under one minute—roughly 250 words or less. But how you design those words matters.
The most scannable emails leverage short paragraphs, bullet points, and clear section breaks.
- Short paragraphs prevent visual overload and make key points more straightforward.
- Bullet points break information into quick, bite-sized lists that are easy to skim.
- Clear section breaks separate different topics, helping readers quickly jump from one section to another.
2. Use headings.
The hierarchical structure of headings can help readers scan an email, identify the most important content, and easily navigate to the relevant sections.
- Use font size and weight strategically. You want your headers to be larger and bolder than your body text without being overwhelming.
- Be clear, not clever. Employees should immediately know what a section is about. “Submit your open enrollment form” is more effective than a vague headline like “Choose what’s best for you.”
3. Use negative space strategically.
Negative (or white) space makes it easier for people to consume text-based messages. When text or objects are packed too closely together in a message, people will struggle to read it. In a study comparing the use of margins (the empty space on the edges of a page or document), “Users favored the ‘Margin Condition,’ reporting lower levels of physical fatigue during reading and greater satisfaction with the layout.”
While there isn’t a magic number for how much negative space to include in an email, you want to strike a balance between text, images, and negative space. Include padding around content blocks, spacing between sections, line spacing (1.4–1.6 line height can improve readability), and space between paragraphs.
The Secrets Behind Emails Employees Actually Read
Get the data-backed strategies you need to design and send effective internal emails.
4. Minimize cognitive load with your design.
Cognitive load is the mental effort the brain uses to process information. Employees process a lot of information every day. PoliteMail research indicates that simpler language fosters better engagement. Similarly, a simpler design can also help reduce cognitive load.
When informative content includes unnecessary or “seductive details”—a term used to describe the interesting but irrelevant information often found in textbooks, lectures, slideshows, and other forms of educational content—those extras can distract the reader and hinder learning outcomes.
Here are some ways to minimize the cognitive load by simplifying your design:
- Include one purposeful image rather than several images.
- Turn a paragraph of numbers into a simple bar chart or infographic.
- Use a single brand color for your calls-to-action rather than multiple colors.
5. Use consistent formats.
Cognitive fluency is the idea that our brains prefer to think about things that are easy to comprehend. Research shows that users prefer visiting websites where they instinctively know where everything is. Similarly, employees appreciate consistency in email messaging and design, even if it is subconscious.
For something like a monthly newsletter, it’s helpful to include the same sections, in the same location, in every issue. This consistency makes it easy for employees to scroll to their favorite sections, like the employee spotlight or last quarter’s sales wins.
6. Balance text with visuals.
PoliteMail finds that emails scoring in the top 20% of attention rate have a content balance that leans more toward words than images. Don’t overload employees with dense text or over-the-top imagery.
When possible, use employee images rather than stock images. Yes, you will benefit from professional photography, lighting, and retouching for specific events, but for day-to-day use, ask your employees to submit their favorite photos for real-world, employee-in-action images.
7. Ensure your design is responsive.
While most emails are likely mobile-friendly, double-check that your images and links display well on all devices.
- Imagine someone reading your email on a large monitor, and another person reading it on a phone. If the email content feels crowded on a phone, the design is too busy.
- Use one column. On small screens, content naturally stacks, so make that your default rather than using multiple columns.
- Make buttons big enough to tap. Pretend you’re trying to click your CTA with your thumb while you’re sitting on a moving bus. If it’s hard to tap without zooming in, make it bigger and add more space around it.
Ready to implement these seven design tips? You can build your emails from scratch, or you can leverage email templates. Let’s explore this option in more detail.
What is an email template?
An email template is a saved, pre-written email that you can edit and reuse. You can create and save your own email templates, and you can also access ready-made email design templates. Through an email template creator—software that uses a visual, drag-and-drop interface to help users design and format emails—you can check out hundreds of examples of good email design.
Using email templates in Outlook
You can create email templates in Outlook for messages that you send frequently. If you send emails with information that’s consistent from message to message, templates are a good option. For example, instead of rewriting the same message repeatedly for something like onboarding instructions, meeting follow-ups, or standard responses to a question you receive frequently, you can create an email template in Outlook.
Designing with PoliteMail’s engaging email templates
To take this mindset further, you can also use pre-made templates. PoliteMail now includes an email template creator powered by Beefree. You can use this tool, a simple drag-and-drop email designer, to create templates. The creator lets you easily move content elements around the page without breaking spacing or alignments. You can:
- Choose from hundreds of available prebuilt email template layouts (or start from scratch).
- Add your own content, including text, images, fonts, brand colors, logos, and animated GIFs or videos.
- And, access a library of free stock images.
Whatever email template layout you choose, if it’s well-designed, you’ll improve your chance of engaging more employees, keeping them informed and connected.
Want to engage more employees with better email design? Register for our design webinar!
