The 2019 Email Design Look Book, Plus the 6 Pillars of Modern Email Design

The Oracle Marketing Cloud Consulting team reads lots of emails. Like, tens of thousands every year. That’s because it’s our job to help brands succeed in the inbox and we’re always looking around for inspiring examples and fresh approaches.

In that spirit, we’re thrilled to share 20 of our favorite emails from the past year as part of our 2019 Email Design Look Book—just as we’ve been doing since we released our first Email Design Look Book in 2009. On their own, these emails are fantastic examples of email design, development, copywriting, and cross-channel orchestration. However, together, this collection highlights the six Pillars of Modern Email Design:

1. Minimalism
Email subscribers are hurried and distracted (just like we are), so having a concise and focused message is essential to success. Our 2019 Email Design Look Book includes great examples of minimalism from Bose, Mint, and others.

2. Rich Content
Great animation or video is worth a gazillion words, and intuitive interactivity breaks down the barriers to taking action. Our 2019 Look Book includes great examples of rich content from the BBC, LEGO, Nest, Shutterstock, and others.

3. Authenticity
Take this to heart: Consumers want to engage with brands that share their values and participate in meaningful conversations. Our 2019 Look Book includes great examples of authenticity from Filson, Lou & Grey, Patagonia, REI, and others.

4. Context
Brands must deliver the right content to the right person at the right time. How? Personalization and automation, for starters. Our 2019 Email Design Look Book includes great examples of contextuality from Alaska Airlines, Fandango, Grammarly, Unsplash, and others.

5. Service
Email subscribers want help, advice, and insights that bring greater meaning and satisfaction to a brand’s products and services. Our 2019 Look Book includes great examples of service-mindedness from Etsy, Quip, Simple, and others.

6. Delight
Who doesn’t love a pleasant surprise? (Don’t you dare raise your hand.) Humor, beautiful images, a clever spin on a familiar topic—they’re all gold. Our 2019 Look Book includes great examples of delightfulness from Comcast, Harry’s, Seamless, and others.

We hope you find as much inspiration from these emails as we have—and that they spur you to greater creativity and innovation in your future campaigns.

>> View the 2019 Email Design Look Book