Images[01]
The whole email is one picture
It looks designed, but many inboxes hide images by default, screen readers read nothing, and spam filters distrust it.
Email marketing · templates
Email template
Email template
design
Email template design for businesses tired of emails that look fine on the laptop and fall apart on a phone. I build a set of modular blocks in your brand colors, test them in the inboxes your customers use, and hand over a template you can fill in yourself in ten minutes.
Free: a 30-minute call, an action plan and a price range in writing.
Common issuesThree problems with
Three problems with
the template you use now
Mobile[02]
Built for a desktop screen
Three columns, tiny text, buttons too small for a thumb. Most of your customers read on a phone, and it shows.
Editing[03]
Nobody dares to touch it
A designer made it years ago. Changing one line breaks the layout, so every email looks the same or never goes out.
How it works
An email series
An email series
that works for you
After signing up, customers get the next messages at the right moment, and you see what they opened and clicked.
- Welcome and tips
- An offer on the right day
- Reminder about the next appointment
ProcessHow I build an
How I build an
email template in 5 steps
Timeline
A template set is usually ready in one to two weeks after I receive your brand files and sample content.
Collect brand and contentLogo, colors, fonts, photos and three or four real emails you want to send in the coming months.
Design the blocksHeader, hero, text, product or service cards, a proof block for photos or numbers, button, footer. Each block works on its own.
Build in your platformThe template is built inside Klaviyo, Mailchimp or your current tool, so you edit it with the platform's normal editor.
Test in real inboxesGmail, Outlook, Apple Mail and Yahoo, on phones and desktops, in light and dark mode.
Hand overA short video showing how to build a new email from the blocks, plus a written checklist before sending.
Price
Email template
Email template
pricing
Template work is quoted individually after a short call, depending on how many layouts you need. Prices are in US dollars.
■ Template set[01]
Quote after a call
Newsletter, promotion and automated email layouts from one set of blocks.
- Modular blocks in your brand
- Built in your email platform
- Inbox and dark mode testing
- Editing video and checklist
Template review[02]
$65 USD/h
I look at your current emails and list what to fix, so you or your designer can do it.
- Mobile and accessibility check
- Concrete fix list
What good email template design looks like
Good email template design is mostly invisible. The reader sees a clean, branded message that loads fast, reads well on a phone and has one obvious button. Behind it sits a layout that survives a dozen different email apps, each of which displays code in its own stubborn way. Getting both right is why a template is worth building once, properly, instead of improvising every send.
For most small businesses, a template is the missing piece that makes newsletters regular. When building an email takes ten minutes instead of an evening, it actually gets sent.
Structure of a reusable template
Instead of one fixed design, I build a library of blocks:
- Header with your logo and, if useful, a link to booking or the store.
- Hero with a headline and image, for the main message.
- Text in a comfortable size for phones.
- Cards for products, services, events or blog posts.
- Button in your brand color, large enough for a thumb.
- Footer with your postal address, social links and the unsubscribe link, locked so it cannot be removed.
Any email, from a seasonal promotion to an automated follow-up, is assembled from these blocks. The same set serves your automated emails, so the welcome series and the newsletter look like they come from the same business.
Built for phones, tested where it matters
Most marketing email in the US is opened on a phone, so I design for a narrow screen first and let the desktop version follow. One column, short paragraphs, generous spacing, no text inside images. Then I test in the email apps your customers actually use: Gmail on Android and the web, Apple Mail on iPhone, desktop Outlook, Yahoo. Each has quirks, from clipping long emails to ignoring custom fonts.
Gmail clips messages over about 100 KB of code and hides the rest behind a "view entire message" link, which can also hide your unsubscribe link. Keeping the code lean is part of the build.
Branding without overdoing it
An email is not a poster. Your logo, one or two brand colors and a consistent font stack are enough for recognition. If your brand itself needs work, my page on visual identity covers that part. Web fonts do not load in many email apps, so I choose fallback fonts that look close to your brand and never let the design depend on a font that might not appear.
Accessibility and deliverability go together
The habits that make emails accessible also help them reach the inbox: real HTML text instead of images, meaningful alt text, sufficient color contrast, clear link wording, a sensible reading order. Spam filters tend to distrust image-only emails, and screen readers cannot read them. If accessibility on your website is also a concern, my website accessibility service covers WCAG 2.1 AA on the site itself.
The template also carries the parts CAN-SPAM requires in every commercial email: your business name, a valid physical postal address and a working unsubscribe link. Building them into a locked footer means a rushed Friday email cannot accidentally go out without them.
Which platform?
I build templates inside the platform you send from, whether that is Klaviyo, Mailchimp or another major tool, so you edit them with the normal drag-and-drop editor. If you are about to switch platforms, it makes sense to do that first; see my notes on choosing an email platform. If you only want a quick opinion on your current emails, a paid consultation is the faster route.
RelatedWhere your templates
Where your templates
get used
FAQ
Email template
Email template
questions
Why not just use the platform's free templates?
You can, and for some businesses that is enough. The free ones are generic, though: they rarely match your brand, often include blocks you never use and are not tested with your content. A custom set takes the guesswork out of every send and makes your emails recognizable at a glance in a crowded inbox.
Will I be able to edit the template myself?
Yes, that is the point. I build it with the platform's own editor, so you change text, swap photos and rearrange blocks by dragging them. Locked parts, such as the footer with your postal address and unsubscribe link, stay protected so nobody deletes them by accident.
Why does my email look different in Outlook?
Desktop Outlook for Windows has long used Microsoft Word's engine to display emails, so it ignores much of modern web code. Rounded buttons turn square, spacing collapses, background images vanish. I build templates with fallbacks for that engine and test them there, so the email looks intentional even in the strictest inbox.
What about dark mode?
Many phones flip email colors automatically, which can turn a dark logo invisible on a dark background. I prepare logos and icons that hold up in both modes, avoid text baked into images and check every block in dark mode on iPhone and Android before handing over.
Do email templates need to be accessible?
Emails are not covered by the same lawsuits as websites, but accessible emails simply work better: real text that screen readers can read, alt text on images, enough contrast, readable font sizes and links with clear wording. The same habits also help with deliverability and readability on small screens.
Send me your last
three emails
Forward three recent emails and I'll reply within one business day with what breaks on a phone and what to fix first. Or book a free 30-minute call.