Lean Design Blog

Featured posts

Highlights of thoughts on email design and content production.

The landing page approach

The landing page approach

Even if you don't advertise, the landing page format is useful for more focused messaging and goals for your website's pages.

Emails with landing pages

Emails with landing pages

The most effective way to gain audience interest, and conversions.

54 marketing emails to send out

54 marketing emails to send out

Have all your bases covered by referring to this list of email types, with usage summaries and design examples.

Why you should have an email content checklist

Why you should have an email content checklist

And 12 essential items you should include on your checklist.

How visual email builders reinforce bad design practices

How visual email builders reinforce bad design practices

They primarily use outdated design practices that cause unintended issues and wasted effort.

Organizing your email design process

Organizing your email design process

3 steps towards systemizing your email’s production.

What is modular design?

What is modular design?

A framework for more clearly defining the language around your design system and templating techniques.

Building an email editor in-house

Building an email editor in-house

The upsides and downsides to in-house email editors.

Why visual email builders are bad at email design

Why visual email builders are bad at email design

They have more options than you need, yet still have design and workflow limitations.

Tracking links in email

Tracking links in email

The most important of email metrics, maybe the only thing you need.

HTTPS for email

HTTPS for email

How on-going enforcement of https content can affect your emails.

Turning to the dark mode

Turning to the dark mode

Should you make your email design dark mode compatible?

Making accessibility a habit

Making accessibility a habit

Accessibility in email design doesn’t have to be an arduous task.

An email design system for your thoughts

An email design system for your thoughts

Using a design system helps you better analyze your emails, streamline production, and iterate on strategy for your campaigns.

The benefits of distributed teams for marketing creatives

The benefits of distributed teams for marketing creatives

A centralized or decentralized marketing structure? How about both!

Clarity in messaging

Clarity in messaging

How to stay on brand, hone your content craft, and make your writing memorable.

The evolution of digital content editing

The evolution of digital content editing

Word processors, content management systems, and visual editors.

The fundamentals of email content production

The fundamentals of email content production

Like email being around for a long-time to come, so will these fundamentals.

Why asset portability matters

Why asset portability matters

Managing email assets independently, so you have control over them beyond the tools and platforms you use.

The differences in email editors

The differences in email editors

Three types of visual email editors: simplified with template options, complex builders, and using your own custom template.

Personalization with privacy, in email marketing and beyond

Personalization with privacy, in email marketing and beyond

Personalization and privacy seem to be in conflict with each other. Here's how to fix that.

Using a specialized workflow to do better work

Using a specialized workflow to do better work

Working together on a team based on maximizing the most valuable aspects of your skillset while allowing other team members to maximize what they’re good at.

Responsive emails: modularize to mobilize

Responsive emails: modularize to mobilize

At least half of email opens now happen on mobile. So there’s no longer an excuse to not enhance your emails for mobile!

The use of brand in email

The use of brand in email

Branding and design aesthetics can sound like a fuzzy proposition, but understanding their underlying principles can lead to strategic results.

Interactive text message features can be done in email

Interactive text message features can be done in email

How interactive messaging and conversational marketing can be applied to marketing emails.

Efficiency and quality are both possible with some design thinking

Efficiency and quality are both possible with some design thinking

Design thinking is essentially both creative and analytical thinking working together holistically.

Email marketing's possibilities are a mindset we choose

Email marketing's possibilities are a mindset we choose

An email client is our canvas, HTML and CSS are our paints and the tools we use for our content act as our paintbrush.

Analyzing your email marketing workflow and tools

Analyzing your email marketing workflow and tools

Break things down, understand each job, find specialized tools, connect them all together around your assets.

Now you're thinking with blocks (how to look at things modularly)

Now you're thinking with blocks (how to look at things modularly)

I'm going to guide you through using the power of thinking about email templates modularly, or in 'blocks'.

The ideal way to edit content in your email template

The ideal way to edit content in your email template

It ultimately allows you to put together content in a way that feels more natural and come out with the best quality email each time.