Email Design Trends 2023: 9 Ways to Make Your Emails Pop

The numbers don't lie. Email marketing is huge–and it’s only getting bigger. Newsletters, in particular, are skyrocketing in popularity. In fact, today’s average American subscribes to between one and ten online periodicals.

All of this is good news for you, you savvy emailing maestro. But there is an asterisk to your "hip, hip, hooray." Massive popularity makes it harder than ever to stand out, while dated practices and designs are easy to spot.

So attract the right kind of attention with these 2023 email design trends. You can use them to create effective campaigns or content that's visually compelling as well as thought-provoking. Or you can simply play around with the latest tools and tricks — whatever floats your custom-designed boat graphic.

Email Design Trends 2023: Can't-Miss Crazes

What are the design trends for 2023? If you want to better appeal to your audience, try out one of these trends in reader engagement.

Dark Mode Optimization

Take care of your readers. Dark mode can reduce eye strain and improve readability, especially for those reading emails on mobile devices. Neurodivergent folks also benefit, making your designs more accessible.

Dark mode has become a popular feature in many applications, including email clients.

To optimize your designs for this setting, use bright, high-contrast colors and other dark-mode-friendly elements. You might also test out your emails by reading them in both dark mode and light mode, making sure the communication remains clear.

Interactive Emails

Interactive emails are another trend that will dominate email marketing in 2023. Interactive elements, such as quizzes and games, make emails more engaging for subscribers. With each click, readers can also provide marketers with valuable data.

Studies bear out the effectiveness of an interactive design. Emails with interactive elements have a click-through rate that’s up to 200% higher.

Why not add a poll or a survey to your next beehiiv newsletter? Learn precisely what your readers want from you in the future and make their immediate experience more fun.

You could also experiment with hover boxes or other click-activated graphics. Humans like pushing buttons and seeing the effect. Adapt anything that would delight your average toddler into a web-friendly design, and you're golden.

Draw inspiration from the interactive images in this recent email from Disney. The Magic Kingdom stays on top of the latest email design trends.

Hyper-Personalization

When you see your friend across a crowded room, how do you get their attention? You call their name.

Personalization is not a new trend in email marketing, but it has become more sophisticated and more important as the sheer volume of emails increases. 71% of consumers expect brands to provide a personalized experience, and 76% get frustrated when brands fail to do so.

These days, personalization goes well beyond using the recipient’s name in the subject line or greeting. In 2023, the keyword is hyper-personalization. Tailor emails to individual subscribers based on their preferences, behavior, interests, and any other data you’ve collected.

Both marketers and creators should segment their audiences. Segmentation allows readers to opt-in to the content they want and assists businesses to create targeted, relevant, and (most importantly) effective campaigns.

Web-Design Aesthetics

In addition to more interactivity, we can expect to see other principles of web design adapted to the world of email. Keep an eye out for more visual elements that add depth, movement, and interest to the layout.

Examples include:

• Soft Gradients — Add depth and dimensionality with soft gradients of color.

• Wave Patterns — Use wave patterns to add movement, fluidity, and a sense of energy.

• Mixed Media — Create unique visual experiences by mixing media such as photos, illustrations, shapes, and text.

Animation

If the illusion of movement isn’t enough, animate those visuals. Add GIFs or videos to make emails more dynamic or demonstrate cool features of your product.

Adobe goes meta with its email marketing design trends. It promotes an animation tool with an animated email.

Email Newsletter Design Trends: Style Suggestions

In addition to broad changes that affect the reader’s interaction with the message, email design trends 2023 include the hottest visual fashions. Bold and original designs win the day, so try one of these on for size.

Vibrant Colors

Bold and bright colors can grab attention and create a sense of excitement or urgency. However, it's important not to overdo it — too many colors can be overwhelming and distracting. Think “eye-catching” and not “stroke-inducing.”

Not all vibrant colors are neon. Skincare line Djusie catches the eye with vivid reds and greens.

Original Graphics

Readers are over unimaginative stock photos. Original imagery, such as custom photography, makes newsletters feel more authentic and unique.

Or take it a step further with your own illustrations. You can convey information visually or simply add a dash of personality.

Big and Bold Typography

Expect to see more big and bold typography in your inbox. Large fonts can make headlines or important information stand out while adding visual interest to the design.

As with some of the other latest email design trends, bold fonts are best used with restraint and intention. Use them for calls to action and headlines.

Check out this announcement for a web series from Filmsupply. The title instantly grabs the reader.

Minimal Templates

On the other hand, you could go in a different direction entirely with a more minimal design. Minimal templates feature clean lines, plenty of white space, and simple typography. They help draw attention to the most critical elements of your email and make it easier for users to navigate it.

As an added bonus, minimalism is timeless and never truly out of style. (No need to worry that you’ll be embarrassed by a metaphorical bad haircut down the road.)

What Is the Future of Email Beyond 2023?

Guys, my crystal ball only goes so far! But you could probably draw some conclusions from the list of email design trends 2023. Hyper-personalization, greater interactivity, web-design aesthetics — these amplify or build on previous best practices.

Even dark-mode optimization is a natural outgrowth of the all-important mobile-friendly design. The viewing option is frequently employed by those reading content on their devices.

Everything else is just fashion, and who knows? Perhaps pastels will be all the rage in 2024. While you can integrate the newest trends into your creative regimen, building a brand requires consistency as well as innovation. Don’t continually reinvent yourself simply because you can.

My advice is to find a style that works and build a community that loves you for you. After all, beehiiv gives you the perfect platform for it. Instead of distracting yourself with all the latest doodads, pick one of the above trends to prioritize for your next newsletter. Then get back to work. We’re eagerly awaiting your next installment.