Think again to net pages from the ‘90s and even early 2000s—woof. From flashing gifs to thick outlines and colour mixtures that gave you a headache, graphic design of yesteryear is greatest left up to now. Graphic design and email design traits, nonetheless, proceed to evolve. One of essentially the most notable transformations, which occurred about ten years in the past, is the switch from skeuomorphic to flat design.
Reducing shadows, highlights, and textures remodeled Apple’s interface from skeuomorphic to flat. Source: glassCanopy.
While skeuomorphic design embraces three-dimensional shapes to imitate real-life objects, flat design is characterized by its simplistic two-dimensional design—excellent for responsive web sites.
Flat design has translated to all advertising and marketing channels, together with email. And, whereas flat design stays the overarching norm for email advertising and marketing, we wished to discover some newer email design traits which have began to floor inside flat design. Last 12 months, we lined design traits that gained recognition in 2021. As we have a look at what 2022 has in retailer, remember that these aren’t essentially new traits, however traits we might have seen creep up up to now few years that we predict will take off within the coming years.
1. Thinking Outside the [Header] Box
Static rectangles are so 2021. Back within the day, advertising and marketing emails had been usually caught in inflexible templates. A giant header block on the high, content material block that follows, and a footer block on the backside. Now, nonetheless, email templates have gotten extra fluid and versatile, giving designers the power to increase past inflexible proper angles and discover extra eye-catching shapes and layers. Rather than a straight edge, for instance, an ovular or extra natural form can create an arrow-like impact, pointing to the content material under.
“When using an email template to build from, you may feel limited in what you can design. You may think you’re locked into a rectangle header, but with the use of transparent backgrounds, you can create new shapes to accent your marketing message”
– Nick Jarrett, Iterable Senior Brand Designer
The header in Piecework’s email guides the attention to the remainder of the content material. Source: ReallyGoodEmails.
This instance, from Piecework, a Puzzle firm, reveals a rounded header that guides the customers’ eyes down the email. These days, everybody can do an oblong template. But why be one of many many? Break out of the normal template constraints and make the template work to your design—not the opposite method round.
2. Combining Photography and Illustration
Promotional emails and pictures aren’t strangers. In 2022, nonetheless, count on to see extra pictures paired with illustrations to raise the imagery. Illustrations can be utilized to assist clarify a sophisticated product, or add model voice, tone, and character to an in any other case generic picture. “Being visually concise, illustrations provide immediate recognition, make complex things easier to understand, build trust, and are effortlessly memorable.”
Love Cocoa used a mix of pictures and illustration to develop past a inventory photograph. Source: ReallyGoodEmails.
UK-based Love Cocoa, a chocolate model, layered illustration over a picture to create a degree of customization that the picture alone couldn’t ship. The eye-catching small, illustrated traces convey the main focus to the merchandise, atop the field, and the Amazon brand. Even with out the copy, it’s clear the aim of the email is to announce that Love Cocoa’s merchandise are being offered on Amazon.
3. The Re-Introduction of 3D
3D components are a big a part of skeuomorphic design. But, as of late, we’ve been seeing the re-addition of smaller 3D components being added to email. We’re not anticipating designers to revert again to full skeuomorphic ideas, however sure shapes inside flat design are beginning to undertake the lengthy misplaced shadows and highlights of yore. Even within the above Piecework email, for instance, the shadows create depth past a easy flat design.
Nike harkens again to email design traits of the previous by including texture to 3D components. Source: ReallyGoodEmails.
In this email from Nike, we’re seeing gradients, shadows, highlights, depth, and extra. It does, nonetheless, nonetheless look completely different from OG skeuomorphic illustration. These components actually really feel 3D—they’ve texture. In the previous, 3D design has resulted in each component feeling and looking the identical, however this new spin on three-dimensional design creates depth by including a wide range of textures and patterns to some—not all—of the parts.
4. Overlapping Elements
Another email design pattern we will count on to see extra of in 2022 is overlapping email components. Further blurring the transition between sections like non-rectangular headers, overlapping components assist break up the straight traces and edges and, because of this, can extra seamlessly draw the customers’ eyes into the subsequent part of the email.
Otherland layers textual content excessive of their header picture to attract the readers’ eyes down the email and create depth. Source: ReallyGoodEmails.
In this email, Otherland, a candle firm, ever-so-slightly overlapped the header copy and the header picture. Immediately the layering on this email differentiates it from others within the consumer’s inbox that both have simply textual content, simply a picture, or a picture centered over textual content because the header. This small overlap nudges readers to have a look at the picture, and proceed studying the email as their eyes have been led downward.
5. Bold, In-Your-Face Colors
While neutrals have been front-and-center just lately in every little thing from vogue to inside design, bold, bright colors are making a comeback—particularly in your inbox. Don’t imagine us? Take a have a look at the Pantone Color of the Year for 2022. Spoiler alert: it’s an insanely vivid periwinkle. Seems fairly intuitive—vivid colours are attention-grabbing and entrepreneurs need to seize the eye of their viewers.
By utilizing daring, contrasting colours, Baboon to the Moon added a wow-factor to their welcome email. Source: ReallyGoodEmails.
An distinctive instance of the email design pattern is the welcome email from bag model, Baboon to the Moon. Not solely are these colours wildly vivid, however they’re complementary. They’re on reverse sides of the colour wheel and, because of this, create excessive distinction. If a brand new buyer is thumbing by way of their inbox, they’re not going to overlook this.
Email Design Trends Shouldn’t Dictate Your Brand
Escaping boundaries, creating depth, combining kinds, and utilizing daring colours are going to be widespread themes popping up as we get farther into the 12 months. But, these email design traits include a caveat: do not forget that advertising and marketing groups ought to keep away from adopting traits that don’t align with their model. If Baboon to the Moon usually used neutrals and comfortable pinks, then despatched a welcome email with electrical blue and neon orange, it’s going to confuse prospects and dilute model belief. Trends are useful to information your advertising and marketing technique and design, however don’t lose your id within the course of.
What issues most is the client expertise. So, if altering up your email design to remain on-trend confuses and frustrates your prospects, it’s not doing you any good. Think about how adopting these traits can elevate your model to reinforce the client expertise, and in the event that they do, you should definitely have enjoyable with it!
To study extra about how email advertising and marketing can affect the client expertise, schedule an Iterable demo.