7 Brands That Have Nailed Gradient Email Designs
Email is one marketing platform that simply refuses to die, and gradients have done a similar job when it comes to graphic design. So why not combine both of them to give your subscribers something new! Yes, gradients are still fashionable and loved by millions across the globe. Be it the transparent hue in the iOS or the Instagram logo, it has been ruling designers’ minds as well. We can confidently say that this combination is quite underused, and it can help you stand out among the cliche 126 emails received by an individual on a daily basis. Today, I am going to discuss seven brands that aced gradient-themed custom email templates. Let’s get started:
#1 Amazon
Amazon has brought two amazing email design trends on the same page, with the dark mode and the gradient perfectly complementing each other in this example. It is noteworthy that the contrast and overall aesthetic appeal beautifully blend both design languages and give the email a sleek and impactful look. If you are looking forward to sending dark mode-friendly messages with a visual twist, this email from Amazon might be the right inspiration for you:
#2 1973 Ltd
1973 Ltd has one of the best designs when it comes to using gradients in email. A lot of their messages follow this design language, which makes it easy for the recipients to identify them. Their gradients usually include a dual-tone approach with contrasting colors. It is also reflected in their typography as it complements the gradients very well. However, one must note that the rich multimedia used in such custom email templates needs to be in line with the overall color palette, or else the design won’t appear attractive enough.
#3 Waymo
In the above example we saw that the gradient design was used as the background, but that’s not the only way one could use it in custom email templates. Waymo came up with this unique design where they used gradients as the color scheme of design elements, and it looks amazing. This trick can be used by all brands having physical products as it helps highlight the product in a fresh manner. In fact, Waymo has used gradients as the font color too, which makes it look even more appealing. But one also needs to observe that this gradient color palette is in line with its logo (branding), which is an important factor in the overall design consistency, as you can find in this beautiful example:
#4 Trello
Trello came up with a very subtle makeover of the gradient email design scheme as they used a very bland transition that’s not strikingly visible. Also, they used a contrasting hero image and with the elements like the green CTA buttons clearly getting all the visibility. This can be considered as one of the smartest design examples since it helps focus on the CTA buttons without overwhelming the recipients. Again, Trello’s logo fits well into the design, which is indeed an essential part of the overall visual appeal. This type of design can get tricky, and hence you should be mindful when attempting templates like that of Trello’s:
#5 Harry’s
Harry’s is a brand that is known for its aesthetic appeal and distinct characteristics, which is well reflected in this example. Their email design looks outright quirky and finds a resemblance to the retro-styled posters. It surely grabs eyeballs since it is unlikely that you will find such emails in your mailboxes. Hence, you can come up with such templates once in a while to give your subscribers a scoop of change. Have a look at how they have used different colors in various parts of the template:
#6 INS
Take a look at INS’s beautiful variation, where they have used the area of the hero typography to project the gradient. They also took the opportunity to show the $25 discount in bold format, which is quite a smart trick. I find that the overall contrast within their color palette and even in the displayed products is well thought. You too can use this pattern if you are looking to send multiple products in a marketing email but keep in mind that even if you have items that don’t go well with the overall gradient, you should place them away from the gradient just like INS has done:
#7 Ericdress.com
Again comes a unique gradient makeover from Ericdress.com. They have actually superimposed the gradient on a model’s face to create this beautiful email. Since the sunglasses are the products being marketed, the resemblance to shades is simply genius. But the important takeaway for us from this example is to understand that you don’t always need to use colors to create a gradient; you may blend an image or even go with multiple images to create the effect as well.
Wrap Up
Among all seven brands that are acing the gradient email designs, the willingness to innovate and have a vision is what has stayed common. You too should focus on using the gradient as a way to complement the purpose behind sending the email and on synchronizing it with other elements to create a homogeneous design. I hope you enjoyed learning about these handpicked brands’ gradient email design game.
Author: Kevin George is the head of marketing at Email Uplers, that specializes in crafting Professional Email Templates, PSD to Email conversion, and Mailchimp Templates. Kevin loves gadgets, bikes & jazz, and he breathes email marketing. He enjoys sharing his insights and thoughts on email marketing best practices on email marketing blog.