Email Template Design

TL;DR

What it is: Designing responsive HTML email templates that look good across different email clients and devices, for businesses sending newsletters, promotional campaigns, or automated email sequences.

What you'll do:

• Design email layouts in design software
• Code templates using HTML and CSS (with table-based layouts)
• Test across multiple email clients (Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, etc.)
• Deliver templates compatible with email marketing platforms
• Handle revisions and client feedback

Time to learn: 3-6 months if you already have design skills and basic HTML/CSS knowledge, practicing 5-10 hours weekly. Starting from scratch takes 6-12 months.

What you need: Design skills, HTML/CSS fundamentals, understanding of email client quirks, design software, and patience for testing.

What This Actually Is

Email template design sits at the intersection of graphic design and front-end development. You're creating visual layouts for emails that businesses send to their customers, but here's the catch: email HTML is stuck in 2005.

Unlike modern web development, email clients don't support the latest CSS features. You're working with table-based layouts, inline styles, and constant testing across clients that render HTML differently. Gmail handles code differently than Outlook. Apple Mail behaves differently on iOS than macOS. Your template needs to work everywhere.

The work involves designing the visual layout first, then translating that design into HTML/CSS that actually renders consistently. You're not just making things look pretty; you're solving technical constraints while maintaining visual appeal.

Clients range from small businesses needing occasional newsletter templates to SaaS companies requiring complex transactional email systems. Some want one-off designs; others need entire template libraries with modular components they can mix and match.

This isn't pure graphic design and it's not full web development. It's a specialized skill set that combines both, with its own unique frustrations and requirements.

What You'll Actually Do

Your typical workflow starts with understanding what the client needs. Are they sending weekly newsletters? Promotional campaigns? Automated drip sequences? Each has different requirements.

You'll design the layout in Figma, Photoshop, or similar software. This includes choosing fonts that render well in email clients, creating a color scheme, planning the information hierarchy, and designing for both desktop and mobile views.

Then comes the coding part. You'll build the template using HTML tables for structure because that's what email clients understand. You'll write inline CSS because many clients strip out style tags. You'll use outdated techniques that would horrify modern web developers, but they're necessary for email compatibility.

Testing is where you spend more time than you'd like. You'll preview the template in Gmail, Outlook (multiple versions), Apple Mail, Yahoo Mail, and mobile clients. Something always breaks. Outlook might add unexpected spacing. Gmail might not render a background image. You fix these issues one by one.

You'll make the template responsive so it looks good on mobile devices, which is where most people read emails now. This involves media queries and careful planning of how elements stack on smaller screens.

Finally, you'll integrate the template with the client's email marketing platform. This might be Mailchimp, Klaviyo, SendGrid, or dozens of others. Each has its own syntax for merge tags and dynamic content blocks.

Revisions are part of the process. Clients change their minds about colors, layouts, or content. You'll iterate based on feedback, sometimes multiple rounds.

Skills You Need

Design fundamentals are essential. You need to understand layout, typography, color theory, and visual hierarchy. Email templates need to guide the reader's eye and make content scannable.

HTML and CSS knowledge is required, but not at an advanced level. You need to be comfortable with tables, inline styles, and basic CSS properties. If you know modern web development, you'll need to unlearn some habits and embrace older techniques.

Understanding email client limitations is crucial. You need to know which CSS properties work and which don't. Background images might not display in Outlook. Flexbox and Grid don't work in email. Web fonts need fallbacks. This knowledge comes from experience and documentation.

Responsive design skills help you create templates that adapt to different screen sizes. You'll use media queries and fluid layouts to ensure emails look good on mobile devices.

Attention to detail matters because small coding errors cause rendering issues. A missing closing tag or wrong attribute breaks the entire layout in some clients.

Basic knowledge of email marketing platforms helps you understand how clients will use your templates. Familiarity with merge tags, dynamic content, and template variables makes your designs more practical.

Communication skills are necessary for understanding client needs, explaining technical limitations, and managing expectations about what's possible in email design.

Getting Started

Start by learning HTML email basics if you haven't already. Email HTML is different from web development. Search for tutorials on email coding and responsive email design to understand table-based layouts and inline CSS requirements.

Practice by recreating existing email templates you receive in your inbox. Study how they're coded by viewing the source HTML. Notice the table structures, inline styles, and techniques used for responsive behavior.

Choose design software you're comfortable with. Many designers use Figma or Adobe XD for layouts, then code from those designs. Others work directly in code editors. Find what works for your workflow.

Learn about email client testing. Tools like Litmus and Email on Acid offer testing across multiple clients, but they cost money. For starting out, test manually using free email accounts across different providers.

Create sample templates for your portfolio. Design templates for different use cases: newsletters, promotional emails, transactional emails, event invitations. Show variety in your work.

Study email marketing platforms to understand how templates are used. Create free accounts on Mailchimp, Klaviyo, or SendGrid to see how their template editors work and what clients expect.

Join communities related to email design and development. Search for Discord servers or Reddit communities focused on email marketing and design where you can ask questions and learn from others.

Build a portfolio website showing your template designs. Include screenshots of the templates, links to live previews if possible, and descriptions of the design challenges you solved.

Income Reality

Email template pricing varies widely based on complexity and client type.

Simple templates using drag-and-drop builders or basic modifications to existing templates typically run $50-$150. These are quick jobs that might take a few hours.

Custom-designed templates with responsive coding range from $300-$1,000 per template. These involve original design work and hand-coding. The wide range depends on complexity, number of modules, and whether it's a single template or part of a series.

Template series or email campaigns with multiple templates (welcome sequences, drip campaigns, promotional series) can command $1,000-$3,000+ for the full project. Clients need consistency across templates, which requires more planning and documentation.

Hourly rates for email designers range from $25-$150 per hour depending on experience and market. Beginners might start at $25-$50 per hour, while experienced designers with strong portfolios charge $75-$150 per hour.

Monthly retainers are where consistent income happens. Clients who need regular template work or ongoing support pay $500-$1,000 monthly for basic services, or $1,500-$3,000+ for comprehensive work including strategy and analytics support.

Template marketplace sales provide passive income but at lower rates. Selling pre-made templates on ThemeForest or Creative Market might earn $5-$50 per sale depending on pricing and exclusivity. Volume matters here, and there's competition.

Your location affects rates less since this is remote work, but clients' budgets vary. Small businesses and startups pay less than established companies or agencies. Direct clients typically pay more than marketplace jobs.

Income depends on how many clients you can manage, whether you focus on one-off projects or retainers, and your skill level. Some designers treat this as supplementary income earning a few hundred monthly. Others build it into a primary income stream earning several thousand monthly.

Where to Find Work

Freelance platforms are the common starting point. Upwork, Fiverr, and Freelancer have consistent demand for email template design. Competition exists, but so does volume of work.

Note: Platforms may charge fees or commissions. We don't track specific rates as they change frequently. Check each platform's current pricing before signing up.

Email marketing agencies often outsource template design work. Search for agencies in your region or globally that offer email marketing services and reach out about freelance opportunities.

Direct outreach to businesses works if you target companies that send regular emails. E-commerce brands, SaaS companies, online course creators, and newsletter publishers all need templates. Send cold emails showcasing relevant portfolio work.

Template marketplaces like Creative Market, ThemeForest, and TemplateMonster allow you to sell pre-made templates. This creates passive income potential, though competition is significant and you need volume to see meaningful earnings.

Job boards occasionally list email design work. Check design-focused boards and remote work sites for contract positions or project-based work.

Networking in email marketing and design communities can lead to referrals. Other freelancers sometimes have overflow work or clients needing specialized email design skills.

Social media platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn help you showcase work and connect with potential clients. Share your template designs and engage with email marketing professionals.

Partnering with web designers or developers who don't specialize in email can create referral relationships. When their clients need email templates, they send work your way.

Common Challenges

Email client inconsistencies are the primary frustration. You'll build a template that looks perfect in Gmail, then discover Outlook adds random spacing or doesn't render backgrounds. Each client has quirks requiring workarounds and testing.

Clients often don't understand email limitations. They want features that don't work in email, like video embeds, complex animations, or advanced layouts. Managing expectations and explaining technical constraints becomes part of the job.

Revision requests can spiral out of control. Without clear project scopes, clients might request unlimited changes. Setting boundaries around included revisions prevents scope creep.

Testing is time-consuming and tedious. You need to check templates across multiple clients, devices, and screen sizes. Automated testing tools help but cost money. Manual testing takes significant time.

Keeping up with email client updates requires ongoing learning. When email clients change how they render HTML, templates might break. You need to stay informed about these changes.

Low-budget clients exist in abundance on freelance platforms. Many want professional templates but have minimal budgets. Filtering for clients who value quality work takes time.

Template marketplace saturation makes it hard to stand out if you're selling pre-made templates. Thousands of templates exist, and pricing pressure pushes rates down.

Mobile optimization adds complexity. Emails need to work on screens from 320px to 600px+ wide, requiring careful planning of how content stacks and text scales.

Tips That Actually Help

Build a library of tested code snippets. Save working solutions for common patterns like buttons, multi-column layouts, and responsive images. This speeds up future projects and ensures reliability.

Set clear revision limits in your contracts. Include specific numbers like "two rounds of revisions" to prevent endless back-and-forth. Additional revisions cost extra.

Learn one email marketing platform deeply rather than surface knowledge of many. Becoming an expert in Mailchimp or Klaviyo makes you more valuable to clients using those platforms.

Create template documentation for clients. Explain how to edit content, add images, and modify colors. This reduces support requests and makes templates more usable.

Use a modular approach to template design. Build reusable components that clients can mix and match rather than rigid, single-purpose templates. This provides more value.

Test early and often rather than designing everything first then coding. Build small sections, test them, then continue. This catches issues before they multiply.

Keep designs simple when starting out. Complex layouts with intricate coding are more likely to break across clients. Master reliable basics before attempting advanced techniques.

Price based on value and complexity, not just time. A template that generates significant revenue for a client is worth more than one for a small announcement, even if coding time is similar.

Stay updated on email design best practices by following email marketing blogs and communities. The field evolves, and knowing current trends helps you deliver modern designs.

Learning Timeline Reality

If you already have design skills and basic HTML/CSS knowledge, expect 3-6 months to become proficient with email-specific techniques. This assumes practicing 5-10 hours weekly, building sample templates, and learning email client quirks.

Starting from scratch with no design or coding background, the timeline extends to 6-12 months of consistent practice. You're learning design principles, HTML/CSS fundamentals, and email-specific constraints simultaneously.

The first month focuses on understanding HTML email basics and how it differs from web development. You'll learn table-based layouts, inline CSS, and why email coding uses outdated techniques.

Months 2-3 involve building simple templates and testing them across email clients. You'll discover what works and what breaks, building knowledge of client limitations.

Months 4-6 are for developing responsive design skills and handling more complex layouts. You'll create templates with multiple sections, modular components, and mobile optimization.

Beyond six months, you're refining your process, building efficiency, and learning platform-specific requirements for different email marketing tools.

These timelines assume consistent practice, not occasional dabbling. Building one template per month won't develop skills as quickly as working on multiple templates weekly.

Is This For You?

This side hustle suits people who enjoy both visual design and technical problem-solving. If you like making things look good but also digging into code to fix rendering issues, email template design might fit.

It works well if you already do web design or development and want to add a complementary skill. Email template work often comes from the same client base.

You need patience for testing and troubleshooting. If debugging CSS issues across multiple platforms sounds frustrating rather than interesting, this might not be enjoyable.

The work fits a flexible schedule well. Most projects are asynchronous with clear deliverables. You can work evenings and weekends around other commitments.

It's not ideal if you want pure creative design work without technical constraints. Email's limitations can feel restrictive compared to modern web design's possibilities.

Consider this if you like recurring client relationships. Businesses need ongoing template work, making retainer arrangements common once you prove reliability.

Skip this if you're impatient with clients who don't understand technical limitations. A significant part of the work involves managing expectations about what's possible in email.

The income potential is solid but not exceptional. It's a viable side hustle or part of a broader design business, but building a six-figure income solely from email template design requires either high-volume template sales or premium client relationships.