Over the next few issues of this newsletter I'm going to address the visual aspects of an email campaign that can help make it successful. Today we'll discuss the general approach to design. In following issues, we'll discuss calls to action and incorporating a human interest angle.

Side-by-Side Comparison
Imagine looking at two email campaigns side by side. Email #1 has a clean layout with photography that is relevant to each of the stories, and a clearly branded message telling you who the email is from. Email #2 is a mishmash of multi-colored text, blinking words, and different font sizes all competing for your attention. Even if both emails had exactly the same wording, you would still instantly be able to determine which one you'd rather spend time looking at.

Perception is Reality

Most people are not designers, but most people can recognize good design when they see it... or at least they think they can. Which is why it is important to be design conscious when developing an email campaign.

In the world of marketing, perception is reality. Having a well designed message offers your readers the perception of value... therefore, it offers them real value. Readers will spend more time looking at something that is visually appealing. With a well designed message, your image is wrapped in an air of distinction and quality, and it will get far more eyeball time than blinking pictures that scream "look at me look at me look at me."

Even Pretty is Not Enough
To paraphrase the lauded american graphic designer Paul Rand, "it is not good design if it is irrelevant, it is not good design if it does not communicate."

Basically, this is Rand's elegant way of articulating the fact that design is not about decoration. The process of design is reductive, not additive. It is not about taking a message and then sprucing it up and making it pretty. Good design starts by stripping away everything that is irrelevant and then adding only as much as is necessary to crystalize the point of the message. The old cliché "less is more" has never been more true.

The Upshot
When in doubt, keep it simple. Clarity and brevity outweigh flashiness and self-importance. Also, check out the December issue of House & Home Digest to see how we create a valuable and distinctive campaign each month for our clients.

I hope you've found value in this article. I thank you for your attention. If you have questions or article ideas for this newsletter, please send them to me: . Expect another issue of our best practices email in two weeks.