#2.11: The “Design Flaw” Issue
Great content only goes so far. Don’t wreck a solid newsletter by making elementary design mistakes.
1> Obscured Background
2> Off-the-Page Printing
3> Over-the-Top Advertising
1> Obscured Background
Something as simple as a colored background can be a design faux pas. A colored background makes it impossible for readers to write a message to a friend when forwarding. Don’t let your design department ruin your viral marketing attempts.
2> Off-the-Page Printing
Contrary to popular belief, paper still exists — and many subscribers will print out your emails to read them. Test every message to make sure that it’s printer friendly. Complex images will come out muddy, and super-wide messages will be cut off on the right side. Keep your primary text to 600 pixels wide, on a plain background.
3> Over-the-Top Advertising
Whatever you do, don’t put an ad for another company at the top of your message. Hurried subscribers will see the banner ad first, and the advertiser’s logo instead of yours. Often, they won’t recognize your newsletter and they’ll think that the advertiser spammed them. Keep your branding and logo front and center.