Which designs will be used in newsletters in 2021?Minimal, maximum layout or rather some movement?
Visual stimuli have the greatest effect on most people. We are attracted to things that we perceive as beautiful: the T-shirt with a certain pattern, the great designer sofa or the fancy sports car. Even when we consume media, visuals have a great influence; this is the case with the title of a magazine as well as a newsletter. That’s why newsletter design is such an important topic. We can have content that is as good and important as it is, if the mailing just looks awful, far fewer people will read that content in the first place.
Of course, what we perceive as beautiful and pleasant is in the eye of the beholder. Nevertheless, there are universal rules for this that apply to a large part of the population. In addition, there are trends – because tastes change over time and stimuli become dull. Today, we would find a newsletter from the 1990s rather unappealing.
But what will email marketing be all about in 2021? We’ve taken a look around and compiled the most important trends in newsletter design 2021 for you.
Unconventional layout
Email templates are usually divided into convenient building blocks to allow quick entry of content into the already existing basic design. This is usually followed by a logo, image, header, introductory text, images, content text(s) as well as one or more call-to-actions and finally the footer.
Newsletters that do not follow this fixed pattern are all the more exciting. A layout with a broken grid doesn’t seem to care about conventions. Especially with a young and hip target group, this already makes an impression.
Source: Tattly
Dark Mode
Dark mode is a trend that has already gained significant momentum in 2020 and will continue and solidify in 2021. Especially on mobile devices, the popularity of the dark design has increased significantly. Many tools now have a dark mode, so it is only logical to also offer this display for your own newsletter.
Besides a stylish black design, the dark mode has two positive side effects: Reading the text becomes more comfortable for our eyes and the lower illumination reduces the energy consumption for the already always soggy batteries.
The Dark Mode 2021 is especially popular in combination with neon colors. It has a bit of the 80s and 90s about it and is not only eye-catching for the generations from that time.
Source: Adobe
3D-Design
The trend towards images that create a spatial effect continues in 2021. The enthusiasm of 3D effects is certainly due to the pandemic situation. Closed stores take away part of the customer experience.
Brand manufacturers in particular are trying to compensate for this loss, at least in part, by relying on a particularly impressive visual language that presents a product in a particularly lively way.
Source: Envato
Minimalism
Less is more! Another design trend that will continue from 2020 is the minimalist design in the newsletter. A particular driver here is the fashion industry, which focuses on the essentials both online and offline. The minimalist newsletter designs 2021 also create a certain elegance in the newsletter with the large images.
One benefit that the minimalist design can bring is better engagement in many cases. By not having a multitude of elements vying for attention, the reader focuses on the essentials and is not distracted by other things.
Source: Apple
Maximalism
From one extreme to the other – those who prefer it colorful go for maximal designs. While minimalism focuses on simple elegance, maximalism is big, lush and eye-catching. Maximum newsletter design features lots of color, overloaded layouts, large images, many and elaborate details, and bold typography.
With today’s devices, there are no display issues either, so designs with maximum effects have no technical limits. If you are not sure whether your own target audience prefers it plain and or sprawling, a few A-/B-tests will surely help you to find out.
Source: Jana Hagen
Magazine Style
High-quality magazines like Vogue or Elle score with simple elegance and a touch of luxury. Why not transfer what works on the magazine shelf to the newsletter? Magazine style is particularly characterized by high-quality photos, minimalist designs and the use of muted colors. The goal is to create a perfect aesthetic. Therefore, especially the pictures are in the foreground, as you know it from the well-known fashion magazines. Texts are rather secondary and are used according to the motto “less is more”. The texts are allowed to attract attention, but not to be the center of attention.
The magazine style is particularly suitable for all newsletters aimed at an audience interested in fashion and design. But this newsletter design trend can also make a positive impression in the real estate industry in 2021.
Source: Mansi Luthra
Bold Typography
Show what’s important – from newsletters or blog posts, we’re already familiar with highlighting important words so readers can quickly scan the text in advance. This often happens automatically, without us thinking about it. The use of headlines, color highlights, and bold words serve as eye-catchers and direct the flow of reading.
However, the 2021 typography trend isn’t just about small highlights, it’s about very large and bold letters that literally scream at you.
If you want to work with Bold typography, make sure you don’t use colors that are too gaudy and rather go for more neutral tones. Give the words room to work. However, don’t forget about maintaining good readability. Consider the effect on mobile devices. Don’t let everything be torn apart then or no longer be recognizable as one text and thus lose all the effect of the big and bold letters. Tip: In these cases, it’s a good idea to embed the text in a graphic that scales responsively.
Source: Musivbed
More Content
The rule for newsletters has always been “as short as possible” so that the reader can quickly grasp the content and, in the best case, perform the desired action.
But in the meantime, newsletters are increasingly reminiscent of landing pages in terms of design, and the functionality often goes far beyond a simple link in the mailing. The pandemic encourages this approach, as people spend more time at home, there is also more time to read. Other elements and a landing page design also create recognition and encourage interaction.
Should you ever want to try longer mailings, make sure that the text is also easy to digest – i.e. a good text flow, appropriate paragraphs and headings.
Longer mailings can be used for special newsletters and publications, for example. Apart from news magazines, however, longer mailings are not suitable for daily distribution. Not every customer will want to read that much.
Source: Dispora Co.
Hyperpersonalization
Those who want to completely submit to the customer’s wishes rely on hyper-personalized designs and content. The layout, for example, is automatically generated in the customer’s preferred style and colors. The content also adapts to the customer’s preferences. This can involve both the products advertised and the way they are addressed.
Hyperpersonalized mails go beyond mere design and make it necessary to invest some work. After all, before you can address customers personally, you first need to know them and their preferences. This makes appropriate queries and tests necessary in advance. Moreover, in addition to email automation, the use of AI may even be necessary, depending on how elaborate and automated the process is to become. However, the effort can be well worth it, as mailings that address you personally and take your own preferences into account receive far more attention. What’s more, the wealth of customer information can be used to build wonderful multi-level campaigns. Personalized designs and content will certainly keep us busy well beyond 2021.
Source: fiktiv
Animation
A little movement can’t hurt – not even in the newsletter, where moving images provide extra attention. Animations can also convey additional messages, such as urgency with a countdown or a 3D view through rotation. It’s not for nothing that video content has become so popular.
However, since it is such a thing with video integration in newsletters, small animations in the form of GIFs or PNGs should rather be relied on at the moment. In addition, the use of digital scratch cards or wheels of fortune, which require programming, is also possible.
Combinations of static and animated images are particularly popular at the moment. This provides visual depth and draws attention. Collage effects can also be implemented well through the combination.
Source: Patrizia Pepe
Newsletter Design Trends 2021 is a colorful mix of styles. With so many options and your own preferences, you should look at the target audience. Unfortunately, a great and modern design won’t do much good if you scare away the target audience with it. Therefore, use A-/B-tests to find out whether the new layout is also well received by your customers before you firmly establish it.
Tip: Our explanatory video (via YouTube) shows you how easy it is to implement A/B tests with the AGNITAS E-Marketing Manager.