Thanks to our friends at Yorba for sponsoring this blog post!

If you’ve been in the game for a while, you’ve probably seen a huge shift in how your audience responds to emails.

What worked back in the day–or even a few years ago (cough, cough: emojis in email subject lines; random personalization that feels specific but isn’t), no longer captures attention. In fact, there are some common reasons why your emails might end up in the SPAM folder (or be left unread forever).

We’ve been studying these patterns at Yorba–we’re an online tool for people who want an easier way to manage their accounts, subscriptions, and inboxes.

But the interesting thing we discovered is that people claim to be tired of emails, but they’re really tired of mass emails that don’t matter to them. There’s this huge disconnect between what people want to see in their inbox and what they’re actually getting.

You know exactly what we’re talking about, too. It’s the same thing you feel when you see another email from that jewelry brand you signed up for ages ago and never thought of again. No matter how good their newsletters are, it’s not going to work unless you’re the right fit.

The same goes for emails. No matter how well-designed they are, if you’re sending an email to someone who literally couldn’t care less, no amount of design savvy or beauty or content is going to change their minds.

So we chatted with the brilliant designers at Ruca a global design cooperative that works with startups and global enterprises. They see the full spectrum of brand channel activation across industries, so they’re the experts when it comes to emails that convert). So we put together a list of things to know before sending your next email (both from a design & content perspective and from a strategy perspective).

Before we get into it, here’s the skinny on the issue with emails today.

According to the 2025 Yorba State of Clutter Report, the average person is subscribed to 148 mailing lists and only opens 1 in 4 emails.

Take a look at the example UI from Yorba below. Those purple lines? That’s all the noise that’s hitting your inbox–and it’s not quieting down anytime soon.

As designers, you craft experiences with purpose and intention—yet when communicating with clients, you’re forced to compete in the most cluttered space imaginable: the inbox.

And it presents a unique challenge for creative professionals: how do you make your emails stand out when your potential clients are actively trying to delete emails and reduce their digital clutter?

Here’s what to know:

1. Surprise people

Delaney Gibbons, a visual storyteller who has helped brands increase open rates with story-first emails, has a trick that works every time.

Give readers a break from the typical stock photos available.

A comic or brief visual essay gives readers a break from the typical stock photos they already see all day long on social and in advertisements. Attention is piqued, and the payoff is often quick. A 4-panel square comic or a 6-frame visual essay can be read in the same amount of time as any other marketing email, but it sets a reminder that there are real humans behind the tech and brand.

The right moment & message can create loyalty faster than any incentive ever could.

Svetlana Yershov, a strategic product leader with 13+ years of experience scaling brands through product marketing, brand storytelling, and research-driven insights, has some ideas that will change the way you approach emails:

Svetlana suggests crafting a playful email that reads more like a life hack than a release note (cheeky headline, eye catching visual, the whole deal). You want something that customers will forward internally.

She used this strategy in the email campaign for Pleo. And, if it works within your personal branding, then don’t shy away from emotionally resonant emails that hit the right tone.

2. Share design insights, not promotional content

No one wants another email saying, “hire me for your design needs.” Instead, share actual design knowledge.

→ Step 1: Identify design challenges your clients face

Look through existing emails or send out a survey to your customers to understand their pain points as they relate to their services. Are they struggling with the design-to-dev handoff? Do they struggle to launch UI updates fast enough? Once you know these insights, you can move on to step 2.

→ Step 2: Create content that solves their problem

Whether it’s a custom Figma component, a color palette generator, or a quick tutorial on animation principles, make sure your recipient becomes more knowledgeable throughout the exchange.

→ Step 3: Use your services as a natural extension to their problem

After you provide value, you can share how your services can help. Think about it: you’d never go to a party and start pitching your services, right? So, email best practices are the same. Sure, there’s much less alcohol involved, but people are still people, no matter whether they’re standing in a crowded event space or behind a computer screen. Treat them like that.

3. Follow up with design iterations, not just generic reminders

Those “just checking in” emails are just as bad as bland logos. They don’t add anything and they just take up space. Instead, show your design thinking by iterating on previous conversations.

→ Step 1: Reference designs you talked about in the past

“After our chat about your brand typography, I came across this case study that solves the readability issues you mentioned…”

→ Step 2: Offer more and more value each time

The first email you share might include a quick tip, the second might give them a more detailed design resource, and the third email might offer a mini-critique or light suggestion. Remember to keep it light and positive.

Pro-tip: Keep your design references tight. Instead of showing your entire portfolio, add 3-4 relevant clips.

4. Design your emails with the same care as your portfolio

As designers, we obsess over our portfolios but often neglect email design. The irony! In a world where people only open 1 in 4 emails they receive, making your emails visually appealing and scannable is crucial.

Take a look at the sample email that the Ruca team created for ZocDoc. Instead of relying on text-heavy or text-based emails, they created something that was easily scannable (and cute to boot!)

→ Step 1: Apply design principles to your email layout

Consider white space, typography, and visual hierarchy just as you would in any design project.

→ Step 2: Ensure mobile responsiveness

Test your emails on multiple devices—nothing says “I don’t understand modern design” like a broken email on mobile.

→ Step 3: Use visual elements strategically

A single, well-chosen visual element is more effective than multiple competing graphics. Think of email design as you would minimalist poster design.

Finally, know when to stop.

If you reach out with three attempts and haven’t gotten a response, you either need to change your approach or wait until you have something really new or valuable to share with them. Sometimes, perseverance is good. Other times, it can come off as trying too hard.

The big takeaway here is that email doesn’t have to be a necessary evil that’s disconnected from your creative practice. When you approach it with the same thoughtfulness and care as your design work, it can become another canvas to showcase your visual thinking and problem-solving abilities.

Yorba is an online tool for people who want an easier way to manage their online accounts, subscriptions, and inboxes. With their newly launched Delete Desk, Yorba makes it easy to delete old or unused accounts in just a few clicks.

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