Tag Archives: images

This is a guest post from Ryan McCready at Venngage.

Keeping up with the latest graphic design trends in your email marketing can be exhausting, especially if you aren’t a designer and have other tasks that take priority.

But keeping up with new design trends is the easiest way to signal to your audience that you’re a modern, innovative, forward-thinking company. That’s why so many tech companies have great design—users expect to see a level of newness within their product.

And, while you want to keep your brand looking fresh and hip, it’s hard to tell which trends you should follow and which trends are best left on the Pinterest boards (that’s why Venngage pulled together the top 8 graphic design trends of 2020).

Read on to discover easy-to-manage, actionable ways to incorporate the newest graphic design trends in your email marketing and branding (even if you aren’t a designer).

Want some quick ways to update your look? Our design trends can help

With email being such a direct-to-consumer, instantaneous marketing method, your email design can be a great way to show your audience just how modern and innovative you are.

Plus, if a design trend doesn’t resonate with your email audience, you can easily change it in your ESP.

1. Muted color palettes

Muted color palettes are the first trend on our list for 2020, and is also the easiest trend to incorporate into your existing branding.

If your emails are word heavy with very few graphics, this trend might not be for you. But, if you use graphics and photography to help bring your newsletters to life, you can definitely get on board.

Muted colors refer to colors that aren’t vibrant. You can easily create a palette of muted colors to work with by taking your existing brand color palette and adding elements of black or white to create more toned-down shades.

Muted color palettes are one of the newest Graphic Design Trends in Your Email Marketing

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Creating a secondary palette from your main brand colors is doubly beneficial. Along with automatically updating your look to be completely on-trend, it’s not too dissimilar to the brand your audience already knows and loves.

A complete rebrand can be a polarizing experience for consumers, so, wherever possible, you should focus on small, continuous improvements rather than a complete design overhaul.

Goodfood email example

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2. Color gradients

Much like trend number one on our list, color gradients are a great way to refresh your emails without changing too much. In fact, you may have already seen this graphic design trend in your inbox.

Gradients have been back for a while, but, in 2020, expect to see much more muted, toned-down gradients (sensing a theme yet?). Instead of an all-out background gradient, you’ll start to see them used to enhance elements of designs.

Flume email example

Original link: email gallery

With this trend, less is more, so focus on updating one small element of your email with a gradient. You could update your header with a subtle gradient, or use a gradient inside of block text.

If using the gradient trend, try to keep it as simple as possible. Try to use subtle gradients in small areas, rather than automatically using a bright gradient as a color overlay.

3. Abstract and dreamy illustrations

Now, you need to be a certain sort of company to pull off trend number three, but, if you can manage it, you’ll be leaps and bounds ahead of your competitors.

The phrase “abstract and dreamy illustrations” can scare people off, but if you’re already using a hand-drawn or illustrated style in your branding, this is the trend for you. Plus, it’s one of our favorite graphic design trends to use in email marketing.

By “abstract and dreamy,” we mean un-lifelike drawings. Think strange colors, exaggerated proportions, and absurd situations.

Casper mattress illustration examples

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Easily update your email newsletters by replacing stock photography with one of these abstract illustrations, or consider changing up your existing bank of illustrations to be weirder.

The other bonus of creating custom illustrations, alongside them looking great, is they add a special element to your marketing. Anybody can pay for a stock image, but not everybody will go out of their way to commission illustrations unique to their business.

Creating a custom illustration for customers who’ve just completed a sale, or customers who’ve joined your loyalty program can help make people feel special, and like you’re a company who cares about them as a person, rather than just a number.

Illustrations have been popular amongst SaaS companies for a while, but, in 2020, they’ll fully enter the mainstream. Expect to see big-name brands, such as Apple, jump on the trend and use stranger and stranger illustrations.

The one thing to remember with this trend is that you need to make sure the meaning of your illustration is crystal clear.

4. Heavy but simple fonts

One of our other favorite graphic design trends to use in your email marketing? Heavy (but simple) fonts.

In 2020, heavy, simple fonts will be everywhere. With the rest of the design world getting more muted, it’ll be time for the bold fonts to shine.

By “heavy,” we mean fonts that are bold or extra bold, things that don’t look delicate or hand-drawn, which was the trend last year. These heavier fonts create a great contrast with graphics and other text and work particularly well as headers.

This is a great trend to jump on, as it’s so easy to implement. The Drake Hotel does a great job of using heavy fonts in their email newsletters.

The Drake November newsletter

Source

Try this trend out by picking a heavy or bold weight to your font and applying it to header text. Increase the size of your header text and even the color, for a really modern look.

5. Beautiful flowing shapes and lines

Beautiful flowing shapes and lines might seem like an odd choice for a top trend, but, when you start to think about it, it makes perfect sense. Alongside more muted color palettes and softer gradients, the shapes used will become softer too.

Like the abstract illustration trend, this one isn’t for every company. But, if you already use geometric shapes or find yourself with too much white space, flowing lines could be the answer here.

Ellevest uses flowing shapes and lines, one of the Graphic Design Trends in Your Email Marketing you can use

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I searched through my entire email inbox, as well as the Campaign Monitor email gallery, but couldn’t find any companies using flowing shapes to their full potential yet, so jump on this chance to be the first.

Using these flowing blobs as backgrounds for sections in your newsletter, or separating blocks of text with a wiggly line rather than a straight one, has a lot of potential to instantly upgrade your emails to something on brand and modern.

6. Genuine and neutral stock photos

In case you haven’t noticed a pattern yet, we’re toning things down in 2020, and your stock photos are no exception.

In previous years, stock photography has tended to lean towards the bright, bold, and colorful end of the spectrum. But say goodbye to oversaturated colors and unrealistic-looking compositions.

Changing up the stock photography you use is such a quick and easy way to modernize your emails. When choosing stock photography look for images that seem unposed, think about the sort of content your absolute coolest friend posts on Instagram.

These are stock photos, one of the graphic design trends people use in 2020 email marketing

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If you don’t use stock photos but do include product shots, you can get involved in this trend too. Arrange products on interesting backgrounds, in natural settings, within a muted color palette for maximum impact.

This image has a muted color palette, one of our graphic design trends to use in email marketing 2020

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The key to nailing this trend is by embracing authenticity, but changing up the style of photography you use in your newsletters is one of the best design tips you can use in your newsletters.

7. Minimalism

Minimalism is a great design trend for email marketers because it’s simple but effective. Being generous with your use of white space won’t be a new concept for many people, but, in 2020, it’s time to take the trend to the next level.

Minimalist email example - This is one of the graphic design trends in your email marketing for 2020

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In this example from fashion brand, Monki, the images are well spaced out, with plenty of breathing room between the pictures.

The CTA button is also in white, but with a simple black border, adding to the calm look. And, finally, the product shots: all the same color scheme, all shot on a white background.

It’s not a boring email at all, but it is a minimalist one.

Try this out with your own campaigns by picking one feature color to sit alongside a plain white background, and don’t be afraid to create extra space in between your text and images.

And don’t stop there; continue the minimalism through to your landing pages to create a cohesive experience for your audience.

8. Better branded animations

You’ve probably seen animations pop up in emails in the form of GIFs. Reaction GIFs are so ingrained in our visual communication that nobody bats an eye when they become part of your marketing.

But how can you stay ahead of the game when everybody’s using the same imagery? Simple: you create your own animations.

By creating your own GIFs, you can produce animations that are highly relevant to your campaign and completely unique to your company.

Asos promotional email example

It doesn’t have to be a complex animation either. In the example above, ASOS has subtly animated the background—enough to add energy to the email, but not so much that it’s overpowering.

If you do decide to bring animation into your campaigns, make sure that the motion you choose never overpowers the rest of the message.

Wrap up

Keeping on top of trends can be an easy and effective way to update the look and feel of your emails, which is why we highly encourage using these graphic design trends in your email marketing.

Especially in crowded markets, standing out from competitors is important—and having good quality, modern, and on-trend emails can be a great way to show your audience that you’re a modern company.

It’s important to keep your brand in mind when using new graphic design trends, as not every trend outlined above will be suitable for your marketing.

Ryan McCready went to the University of Arkansas and graduated with a degree in economics and international business. Now instead of studying the economy, he writes about graphic design, marketing and more at Venngage.

Article first published November 2014, updated May 2019

Have you ever found it difficult to get the right image for your email marketing campaign?

If you’re like most marketers, you probably don’t have a design background and years of experience with tools like Photoshop and Illustrator, which can make it hard to create the visual assets you need.

Yet beautiful design in your email campaigns is extremely important. In fact, when we recently redesigned our blog subscribers email, we got a 127% increase in click-throughs.

So how can a marketer like you create beautiful email marketing campaigns that drive more conversions and revenue?

When we were putting together our guide on how to get better marketing results with beautiful design, we spent countless hours searching the web for tools, templates, and resources that could help people like you create beautiful visual content.

6 tools to help you create awesome visual content for your email campaigns

Read on to learn some of our favorites to help you create better-looking—and, therefore, better-performing—email marketing campaigns.

Why is visual content important?

Visual content marketing can be defined as the use of multimedia to bolster the impact of your content marketing. This can be in the form of:

  • Videos
  • Images
  • GIFs
  • Infographics
  • Cinemagraphs

Have you ever found it difficult to get the right image for your email marketing campaign? If you’re like most marketers, you probably don’t have a design background and years of experience with tools like Photoshop and Illustrator, which can make it hard to create the visual assets you need. Yet beautiful design in your email campaigns is extremely important. In fact, when we recently redesigned our blog subscribers email, we got a 127% increase in click-throughs. So how can a marketer like you create beautiful email marketing campaigns that drive more conversions and revenue? When we were putting together our guide on how to get better marketing results with beautiful design, we spent countless hours searching the web for tools, templates, and resources that could help people like you create beautiful visual content. 6 tools to help you create awesome visual content for your email campaigns Read on to learn some of our favorites to help you create better-looking—and, therefore, better-performing—email marketing campaigns. Why is visual content important? Visual content marketing can be defined as the use of multimedia to bolster the impact of your content marketing. This can be in the form of: Videos Images GIFs Infographics Cinemagraphs

Source: Campaign Monitor

Let’s take a look at a few reasons why visual content is important to your marketing strategy.

Increase engagement

Using visual content in your marketing is important because it helps make your content more engaging, and, the more impactful your content is, the easier it is for you to turn readers into customers.

Help raise brand awareness

According to research, visual content helps your audience remember your message more. So, when they need a product or service you provide, it’ll be you they’ll think of first. Not only does visual content help people remember your brand, it also encourages people to share your content more.

Improve conversion rates

When it comes to marketing, visuals play an important role in improving conversions. One reason for this is that they’re better at eliciting emotions than words.

Visual content – a few guidelines

Now that you know how important visual content is, let’s take a look at a few guidelines you should follow in order to see the best results.

Keep your images in line with your branding

As tempting as it is to just use any eye-catching image, you should limit your visual content to images that help portray your brand. Use content that:

  • Follows your brand guideline
  • Employs your color scheme
  • Tells your brand story

Visual content plays a big role in portraying your brand, so use it strategically.

Use quality images

As useful as stock images may be, try to limit your dependence on them. Instead, invest in getting custom photos that tell your story better. Often, this will call for you to create your own images. Thankfully, there are a number of great tools for you to use.

Match your visuals to your message

Another important guideline you need to follow when implementing a visual content strategy is that every visual element you use must match the content you’re placing it in. In fact, it should enhance it. Otherwise, it’ll just be a distraction.

With that foundation in place, let’s quickly look at some of the best tools you can use to create your own visuals.

1. Canva

Canva enables you to easily create beautiful images for your email campaigns. It offers you thousands of beautiful stock images to choose from, and you can add different elements (such as text, banners, and buttons) to create customized images for your email campaigns.

What sets Canva apart is its drag-and-drop visual editor, which means you can simply select the elements you want and drag and drop them to the exact spot you want them.

Here are some examples of images created using Canva:

Here are some examples of images created using Canva

2. PlaceIt

PlaceIt is a great tool for adding screenshots of your application, website, or digital product to your email campaigns. You simply enter a URL, and PlaceIt will automatically grab a screenshot and insert it into your chosen device and context.

What makes PlaceIt so great for marketers is its wide variety of screens and devices, meaning you can easily add your screenshots to everything from a Samsung Galaxy sitting on a desk to a MacBook Pro sitting on a park bench.

Here are some example images created using PlaceIt:

Here are some example images created using PlaceIt:

3. Graphic River

Graphic River is a design marketplace where you can purchase various design elements for use in your marketing. There are over 285,000 items for sale on Graphic River and the site is well categorized with great search functionality, so it’s easy to find the exact item you’re looking for.

For marketers like you, there are some great icons and banners on the site that can help make your next email campaign more visually appealing.

Here are some examples of banners available for sale on Graphic River:

Here are some examples of banners available for sale on Graphic River

4. SnagIt

SnagIt makes it easy to capture screenshots and videos of anything you see on your screen, and can be great for generating images of your website or application for use in email campaigns.

What sets SnagIt apart is its built-in editing abilities that allow you to modify the screenshot before saving it. With SnagIt, you can easily:

  • Add elements to screenshots – You can easily add text, speech bubbles, arrows, circles, and more to screenshots to highlight certain key elements or provide some additional commentary and information.
  • Add effects to screenshots – You can easily add effects such as shadows, reflections, fading, and more to your screenshots to give them that professionally designed look.

What sets SnagIt apart is its built-in editing abilities that allow you to modify the screenshot before saving it. With SnagIt, you can easily

5. IM Free

IM Free is a stock photography website that offers thousands of beautiful stock photographs for free.

The photography on the site is far better than the cheesy stock photos you find elsewhere on the web, and all the images are really well categorized to help you find the right photograph for your campaign.

Here’s an example of a stock photo available for free on IM Free:Here’s an example of a stock photo available for free on IM Free

6. The Noun Project

The Noun Project is an online collection of free and paid icons that you can download and use in your email marketing campaigns.

Think of The Noun Project as Google for icons. You simply search for the kind of icon you need, and The Noun Project will return hundreds of options to choose from. You can either download and use the icon for free (with attribution) or you can purchase a licence for as little as $1.

Here are a few examples of icons you can find on The Noun Project:

Here are a few examples of icons you can find on The Noun ProjectIcons designed by Simon Child from the Noun Project

Other tools to create visual content

Still need examples of other tools you can use to create amazing visual content?

Visme

Visme is an all-in-one design tool for marketers and businesses that lets you create beautiful images for your email campaigns in minutes using thousands of professional templates. You don’t even need any design experience to get started!

You can add and alter thousands of vector icons, choose from millions of free stock photos, use preset color palettes, access premium fonts, create data visualizations, upload your own brand elements, and more. You can also add animation and interactivity to your images.

Here are some examples of images created with Visme:

Sweet Recipes for Kids Banner Cover Art Black Friday Promotion Design

Winter Lights Promotional Landing Page Design Trip To Italy Splash Image

 

Design Wizard

For an intuitive and easy-to-use graphic design tool, turn to Design Wizard. With a vast library of images, videos, and templates, you can easily personalize an image or video in seconds. Need to resize your image? No problem. Design Wizard has a resize button that allows you to change the size of an image.

Awesome Screenshot

Need to walk your readers through a process? Then Awesome Screenshot is a tool you need in your toolbox. It allows you to easily take screenshots of any web page and edit them to better convey your message.

Need to walk your readers through a process? Then Awesome Screenshot is a tool you need in your toolbox. It allows you to easily take screenshots of any web page and edit them to better convey your message.

Source: Chrome Web Store

Photoscape

Photoscape is a free tool that you can use to edit photos and create GIFs. You can easily split and merge photos and much more.

Wrap up

With an increasing number of email campaigns competing for your reader’s attention, it’s never been more important to embrace the power of beautiful design to drive conversions.

By leveraging some of these tools, email marketers like you can easily become digital artists, creating beautifully designed marketing campaigns that get results.

Want more tools and resources? Our newest guide, How to get Better Marketing Results with Beautiful Design, features 15+ resources that marketers like you can start using today to make your email campaigns, websites, and landing pages more effective. Check out the guide today.