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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Good email design makes the message easy to understand and act on whether someone reads it on a phone, uses assistive technology, or has images turned off. For beginners, the essentials are a clear purpose, scannable content, readable text, accessible links and images, and a final check in the email clients your audience uses.
1. Give the email one clear purpose
Before choosing colors or arranging content, decide what the reader should understand or do. Keep material that supports that purpose and remove distractions. Mailchimp’s email design reference recommends keeping designs straightforward and focusing on the message.
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2. Put the main takeaway near the top
Readers should not have to search through a long introduction to find the point. State the key update, offer, or action early, then add supporting details in descending order of importance. This hierarchy helps someone scanning quickly understand why the email matters.
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Break content into short sections with descriptive headings, concise paragraphs, and enough spacing to distinguish one idea from another. A single-column layout often suits a focused message; multiple columns can help group parallel content when that structure genuinely adds clarity. Choose based on the content rather than decoration. Mailchimp’s design guidance and email marketing field guide both emphasize straightforward layouts.
#1 Best Overall
4. Write concise, clear copy
Use plain language and make each paragraph serve the email’s purpose. Explain what the reader needs to know, then make the next step unmistakable. Mailchimp’s newsletter guidance puts it this way: “Make the reader’s next step obvious, and close each campaign with a call to action.”
5. Choose readable typography
Use a legible typeface and check how it looks at phone size. Mailchimp’s field guide recommends 14–16px as a readable font range. Treat that as vendor guidance rather than a universal rule: actual readability depends on the typeface, device, client, and audience. Avoid making important text tiny to fit more content.
Rank #2
- Mr. Pen address book features a hardcover design in pink blush and includes 80 sheets with alphabetical A–Z tabs, providing a durable and organized way to record and access contacts.
- The address book is made with high-quality paper that is smooth and suitable for pen or pencil, ensuring clear, legible entries for all your contact details.
- This compact address book is portable and convenient to carry in a bag, desk drawer, or personal workspace without sacrificing writing space.
- The book includes an inner pocket for storing important notes, business cards, or additional reference materials, while the elastic band and pen loop keep everything secure and accessible.
- This address book is ideal for professionals, students, and families who want a reliable and organized solution to store addresses, phone numbers, emails, and other essential contact information.
6. Make the layout work on mobile
Use flexible layouts and images that can scale, and check that text does not become too small, overlap, or get cut off on a narrow screen. A mobile-first structure can help keep the essential information prominent. Mailchimp’s responsive email guide covers flexible layouts, scalable images, and readable text. Its field guide gives 600 or 640 pixels as starting widths for coded templates, not fixed requirements for every email or client.
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7. Make buttons and links practical to tap
Give calls to action enough space to tap comfortably, especially on phones. Mailchimp’s mobile guidance recommends a 46px-square target and attributes 44px to Apple and 48px to Google. These are recommendations cited by Mailchimp, not a single universal email standard. Test the actual email on a phone, including whether nearby links are too close together.
8. Keep essential information in live text
Do not put the only copy of a headline, offer, deadline, or instruction inside an image. Some readers will not see images because they are blocked, slow to load, or unavailable to assistive technology. Use images to support the message, while keeping its essential words in the email itself. See Mailchimp’s email accessibility guidance and design reference.
9. Write useful alt text for informative images
Alt text should briefly communicate relevant information in an image, such as what a product picture shows or what detail a diagram conveys. Do not label every graphic “image,” repeat an adjacent caption, or leave out information that appears only in the picture. If an image is purely decorative, mark it so assistive technology can skip it where the email system allows. Mailchimp explains these practices in its alt-text guide.
Rank #4
- Large print address and password keeper
- 7 1/4" long x 5" wide
- Includes 96 alphabetized pages
- Generous large print makes it easy to reference and record important information
- Spiral-bound pages lie flat when open
10. Check contrast and reading order
Make text distinguishable from its background and do not use color alone to communicate meaning—for example, pair color-coded status with a label or symbol. For multi-column layouts, check that content is encountered in a sensible order when read by assistive technology. Mailchimp’s email accessibility article addresses these email-specific considerations. The W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1, published May 6, 2025, provide broader, testable accessibility criteria across devices. WCAG is useful context, but applying it does not by itself establish that a particular email conforms or meet every user’s needs.
11. Set accurate expectations in the inbox
Write a subject line that reflects what the email contains. Use the preheader to add useful context rather than repeat the subject or make a promise the message does not fulfill. The amount of subject and preheader text visible varies by email client, so there is no single character count that guarantees an ideal display. Mailchimp discusses subject lines and preheaders in its accessibility guidance and newsletter style guide.
Best Value
- 【Keep Your Contacts Organized】 This 7.7" x 5.7" address book keeps all your information in one place, helping you keep track of important dates, numbers, addresses and passwords.
- 【Colorful Alphabetical Tabs】 Address book features individual tabs with colorful design that help you easily organize and quickly locate the phone numbers and addresses of your contacts.
- 【Plenty of Writing Space】 Our phone number book has 384 entries to record contacts necessary information, 64 entries to store Internet passwords. And includes birthday pages, anniversary pages, notes pages, emergency contact pages, etc.
- 【Premium Quality and Convenient Design】 The leather hardcover book makes telephone address book elegant and practical. Sturdy double-wire binding allows the address book to lay flat 360 °. And comes with thick no-bleed 100gsm paper, elastic band, inner pocket.
- 【 Perfect Gift for Everyone】 Address and password book is a thoughtful and stylishl gift, keep work and life organized. The contact book with large fonts is geared for seniors.
12. Make links descriptive and provide a plain-text version
Use link text that tells readers where a link goes or what it does. Labels such as “Read the full schedule” are more informative than “Click here,” particularly when links are encountered out of context. Ensure the core message and action also make sense without the designed HTML. Mailchimp notes in its accessibility guidance that its campaigns generate a plain-text version that can be edited.
13. Test the email before sending
Preview the email at relevant screen sizes and in the clients your audience is likely to use. Send a test message, open it on a phone and desktop, follow every link, and turn images off to check that the message remains understandable. If you coded the email, test the HTML across email services; rendering can vary between clients. Mailchimp’s HTML email best practices and field guide discuss testing and previews, while its alt-text guide recommends checking with images disabled.
Quick Recap
Choosing between common design options
| Choice | Often suits | Trade-off to check |
|---|---|---|
| Single column or multiple columns | A single column often works for focused, concise messages; multiple columns can group related content that needs parallel presentation. | Check that the layout remains easy to scan and that assistive technology reads the content in a logical order. Sources: Mailchimp design reference; Mailchimp accessibility guidance. |
| Live text or image-based text | Live text keeps essential information available when images are disabled and can adapt to different screens. | Images can add visual interest, but should not be the only place readers can find essential words. Sources: Mailchimp design reference; Mailchimp accessibility guidance. |
| HTML button or image-based button | An HTML button keeps its label visible when images are turned off. | An image-based button may disappear when images are blocked. Source: Mailchimp calls-to-action reference. |
| Custom-coded email or platform template | Custom coding offers control over the markup; a platform template can provide a starting layout and preview tools. | Custom HTML needs email-client testing. A template still needs checks for content, accessibility, and how it renders for your audience. Sources: Mailchimp HTML email guidance; Mailchimp field guide. |
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