The most painstaking development-eDM

Warning: The tone of this article may sound aggressive to some audiences. It’s not like I am heavily biased to a particular side. Indeed, there is no offence intended for anyone. It’s just - I am such an arse whose personality is quite raw, and I don’t give a F on tone polishing anymore. Sounds unprofessional? Maybe. But this is my messy brain garden.

Hey there! If you’re reading this article, I bet you must be a design enthusiast at a studio or a marketing maven gearing up to plot your next mind-blowing marketing campaign.

Either way, you’ve come to the right place for some real talk and practical advice.

Let’s dive in and tackle some of the hurdles you might face. I’ve been around the block a few times, and I’m here to share some hard-earned wisdom that might save your arse, no - I mean, sanity.

No matter where you are in the process, I’ve got some tips to help you navigate the challenges you might encounter.

Here’s the deal: whether you’re just starting out or knee-deep in your project, I’ve got some hard truths. Fasten your seatbelt––! Whoooohooo.

First up, let’s address the elephant in the room: “Less is more.” Good old wisdom. Although it seems like everyone collectively decided to throw this gem out the window. Seriously, what gives, for f***’s sake?

It is less time-consuming for both you and the poor developer who tries to build a sustainable eDM and has to handle unrealistic requirements, either from you or the template designer or your client, who is probably pushing unrealistic requirements as well.

But the thing is, Keeping things simple and realistic is a solid lifesaver. Trust me, your developers will thank you for it.

Now, let’s address the elephant in the room: those flashy blog articles from email service providers. You know, “revolutionary features” and “game-changing possibilities.”

Let’s cut through the BS and talk about what really matters in EDM development.

Well, here’s a reality check for you:

These providers aren’t lying, but they’re not telling you the whole truth, either.

Their vague language can lead you down a rabbit hole of unrealistic expectations. And if you’re new to eDM development, you might just fall for it and sink. Oops.

Let’s break it down on some truth that I can tell ya.

1> Fancy interactive elements? Sure, they exist, but good luck getting them to work across all email clients. 2> Dynamic content? It is great in theory but a nightmare in practice for many platforms. 3> Video in emails? It’s more like a “video that works in about 3% of inboxes.”

Just because something’s possible doesn’t mean it’s practical. You aim to create effective, deliverable emails - not win a design contest that’ll break in half the inboxes out there.

But somehow, a lot of clients, AND sometimes internal colleagues, seem to forget about it. As a developer and UX digital analyst, I don’t get it. What would be worth more than sustainable clean campaigns at a faster pace? Many of them seem to try to become a pageant at “Who has the most complex and authentic eDM template (Spoiler alert: No one. The more unique you try, your campaign newsletters will get most likely their heads chopped off.)”

Here’s the deal: We’re constantly bombarded with information, visuals, and noise. We are already suffocated with sufficient stuff almost everywhere. Simplicity can be your secret weapon.

I mean, even I was bloody (Oops, sorry for my French) and felt disgusted whenever I opened my inbox and saw that the first page was filled with the full marketing newsletters. I wish I could just empty the whole inbox. Unfortunately, I can’t. It would be really nice if that were the case because of one important message that might be mixed in among 100 spam emails; I can’t just delete the entire email box. Am I the only one who worries about this? I suppose not?

Look—you don’t need fancy or jargon in your campaigns. You just have to know exactly what to say—concise, impactful, and memorable. For the sake of real conversion matters, embrace the power of simplicity.

So, I would like to introduce some useful rule content for everyone’s sake.

The title is…(buzz-roll on snare drum)

The Ultimate Guide to EDM Design: 9 Golden Rules

Whether you’re experienced or new to EDM, these nine rules are your key to email marketing success. Let’s dive in, shall we? Well, you better do it.

1. Respect the Character Limit (Or Face the Consequences)

Look, we get it. You’ve got a lot to say.

However, when there are too many words in your email, (In other words) - becomes excessive; it won’t bring good results.

But here’s the deal: brevity is your best friend in email marketing. Why?

• Attention Spans Are Shrinking. Thanks to Shorts and TikTok, your audience isn’t settling in for a novel. Keep it snappy. Clip all unnecessary branches off.

• Gmail’s Secret Guillotine: Exceed 102 KB, and Gmail will chop your masterpiece faster than you can say “unsubscribe.” Just like what French Revolution gangs did to royals.

• Design Integrity: Ignore character limits and watch your beautiful layout turn into a digital Picasso (and not in a good way).

2. The 600px Rule: Your Email’s Comfort Zone

Stick to 600px wide for your desktop design. It’s not just a random number – it’s the sweet spot for device readability. And remember, responsiveness should kick in around 480px. It’s like the Goldilocks of email design – not too wide, not too narrow, just right.

So, what is the point of setting the responsiveness triggering to a width wider than 600px? Well, first, setting the minimum width to 450-480px is the safest bet. An article on the L&m@s (censored) blog claims that 600px email width is a myth, but I disagree.

In fact, there are more width options across multiple email clients. However, it doesn’t explain why 600px is not the most optimal option. Even though the email clients and screen resolution have evolved over time, the tradition of staying within 600px has always gone right.

Note: Still a safe choice in 2024. While some email clients support wider designs (which, after running a massive set of variable testing, our most painful troll - outlook, won’t do much on this), 600px remains a reliable standard for ensuring compatibility across various devices and clients.

3. Embrace the Nested Table: Your Email’s Backbone

Think of your email layout as a Lego masterpiece. Keep it simple, and try to avoid having too many vertical divisions. Those fancy, complex layouts are more trouble than they’re worth. Stick to the basics, and your email will render beautifully across devices.

When you design the templates, have you ever tested them on 5-6 different devices after testing an email on acid or litmus? I assume you haven’t. If you were already at that stage, why even bother asking the email developer to build the template according to design?

In the actual scenario, when the grid was not precisely square-tiled without consistency, it was always broken down in the actual testing phase.

4. Simplicity: The Email Designer’s North Star

“Less is more” isn’t just a cliché – it’s your mantra. Don’t let flashy UX (which I sometimes wonder if the writers of that article actually did research the practical results of following their suggestions, by the way) blogs lead you astray. In email design, simplicity isn’t just elegant; it’s essential for functionality.

When the design is not excusable, We shouldn’t call it a design.

5. Pixels Are Your Friends (And Only Pixels)

I’ve worked with a lot of designers who handed in their sketch file and Zeppelin file, which converts pt. to the pixel. In contrast, I give chef kisses to designers providing templates in Figma with developer access enabled.

You can’t complain that our build is not pixel-perfect while your design base was essentially on point base. I am utterly in rage against those who made this term viral. Seriously, I hope you are rotten in the hell. Oops. Excuse my French again. In another article, I will publish another post on why ratio endurance should be the priority rule in digital design over fixating on the de lulu of “Pixel-perfect”.

Ditch the points, ems, and other fancy units. Pixels are the universal language of email design. Using anything else is like speaking Klingon at a business meeting – unnecessarily complicated.

Note: In 2024. However, some email developers are starting to use relative units like em or rem for better scalability, especially for typography. Risk is your own. If you have an indefinite budget and money, do whatever you like to do, by all means.

6. Background Images: Proceed with Caution

Many email clients treat background images like kryptonite. Instead of risking it, opt for a solid hero image. It’s more reliable and just as impactful.

7. Keep Your Assets Close

Host your images and fonts on the same server as your email. Images and fonts should be uploaded to the server where email is dispatched. Cross-origin resources in emails are as unwelcome as a skunk at a garden party.

8. GIFs and Videos: The File Size Vampires

Sure, that looping GIF is cute, but it’s also a file-size monster. And videos? In emails, they’re about as useful as a chocolate teapot. Keep your content lean and mean.

Note: In 2024, while support has improved, file size concerns remain valid. Some email clients now support embedded video playback, but it’s not universal.

9. Web-Safe Fonts: The Reliable Classics

Stick to web-safe fonts when possible. They might not be the trendiest, but they’re like the Swiss Army knife of typography—reliable and universally compatible.

If you want to use web fonts, we can include them in your campaign email. However, non-web-safe fonts would most likely be scratched off on Outlook.

Non-safe fonts in emails are like wearing a tuxedo to a beach party – fancy but totally out of place.

By the way, what is a web-safe font? Web-safe fonts are the default fonts across the different operating systems and devices.

Note: In 2024, web font support has improved for many email clients. It’s now more common to use web fonts with appropriate fallbacks.

There are so many limitations! What even could we do on the EDM template, then?!

Instead, what you should consider in 2024:

1. Dark mode considerations are now crucial in email design.
2. AMP for Email has gained more traction, allowing for more interactive elements in supported clients.
3. Accessibility in email design has become increasingly important.
4. Mobile-first design is now even more critical due to increased mobile email usage(However, please keep in mind the #2 rule above)

Wrapping It Up

There you have it – nine golden rules to elevate your EDM game. Remember, in the world of email design, function trumps form every time.

Now go forth and create emails that would make even the most jaded developer nod in approval!

When your developer gives you a limit, treat it like gospel. They’re not trying to stifle your creativity; they’re saving you from the embarrassment of a half-baked email hitting thousands of inboxes.

Remember, you’re not writing “War and Peace.” You’re crafting a clean, sharp, like a paper cut, to-the-point message that gets results. So, channel your inner Hemingway, embrace brevity, and watch your engagement soar.