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21 Email Design Tools to Transform Your Emails

Beefree team
Beefree team
Jul 5, 2016
21 Email Design Tools to Transform Your Emails
21 Email Design Tools to Transform Your Emails

Summer is the perfect time to think of ways to refresh your email marketingstrategy and gear up for a busy fall. So, set aside some time to regroup and recharge your emails with these email design tools.We've rounded up 21 design tools and resources (organized by categories) as a guide to strengthen your visualsand make your email campaigns more interesting. You're sure to find something that will make your emails pop!

Font, Icon, and Stock Photo Tools | Photo Editing and Design Tools | GIF and Meme ToolsPrototyping and Video Tools | Chart, Graph, and Survey Tools

Font, Icon, and Stock Photo Tools

1. WhatFont

WhatFont is one of the email design tools that we use all the time on the blog. It's a Chrome extension that allows users to hover a cursor over a web font to see the name that pops up. This is a great way to see the fonts that brands are using, and it only takes seconds to find out the name when you stumble upon great text on a page.

WhatFont email design tools

2. The Noun Project

Browse an enormous library of icons on The Noun Project.Just like a photo library, the site is searchable by keyword and contains thousands of images. Most areavailable as a free download if you give credit—or you can bypass giving credit by paying a small royalty fee, typically $1.99. Unlimited memberships are also available for $9.99/month.

The Noun Project email design tools

3. Pexels

For an extensive library of free stock photos, try Pexels. Images are searchable by keyword, popular images, and top photographers. And, they're sortable by color, helping you stay on-brand and within an email's aesthetic.

Pexels email design tools

4. Unsplash

Here's another great resource for "do-whatever-you-want" hi-res photos. Search by collection or keyword to sort through beautiful, large images that can be downloaded in just a couple clicks.

Screen Shot 2016-06-29 at 4.33.58 PM

Photo Editing and Design Tools

5. BeFunky

This free, simple, and easy-to-use tool is part web-based photo editor, part collage-maker, and part designer. Upload an image (or use one of theirs), and add effects, graphics, text overlays, and more. When you're finished, just download the .JPG or .PNG, and you're ready to roll.

BeFunky email design tools

6. Canva

Canva is at the top of nearly everyone's list of email design tools for creating beautiful visual content online. The drag-and-drop tool, which is free to use, allows you to search stock images (most cost $1 for one-timeuse), add text and illustrations, and create charts and lines, all on a blank canvas. The final product can be exported as an image file.

Canva email design tools

7. VSCOcam

If you're on the go and need to format and polish your photos quickly, try this iPhone and Android app, which that lets you add filters and edit images in nearly endless ways. Use it for free or pay a few bucks for special filters.

VSCO email design tools

8. Placeit

Need to see a rendering of your product on a mobile or tablet screen? PlaceIt lets you insert ascreenshot into iPhone and iPad mockup templates for free. It's especially useful for app developers, or for any brand with a web-based product that needs to be shown in action.

PlaceIt email design tools

9. Skitch (for Mac only)

As an Evernote product, Skitch is a super speedy screenshot tool that's great for annotatingimages with shapes, arrows, and text. We happen to use it for editing screenshots in this blog. The app is free for Mac users only and is handyfor email design inspiration, revisions, and mockups, as well as finished products.

Skitch email design tools

10. TinyPNG

TinyPNG uses "smart lossy compression techniques to reduce the file size of your PNG and JPEG image files." As a result, your images will load much, much faster on mobile devices.

TinyPNG email design tools

11. Google Drawings

Simpler than Google Charts, Google Drawings harkens to thegood ol' days of the original Paint application. The tool allows you to choose images, add text, create shapes, or make free-form drawings. Think of it as a PowerPoint or Keynote slide—a blank canvas ready for your vision.

Google Drawings email design tools

12. Pinterest

Okay, so as far as email design tools go, Pinterest isn't a tool per se, but it is one of our favorite places to go for email design inspiration. With great boards cropping up all the time, it's a perfect one-stop-shop forchecking out fonts, colors, images, and great designs. You can also check out the Email Design Workshop's own Pinterest board.

PInterest email design tools

GIF and Meme Tools

13. Giphy

Animation in email is a great way to boost interest and engagement. Giphy lets users create fun animated GIFs and search an extensive database of pre-made GIFs in different categories.

Screen Shot 2016-06-29 at 3.51.28 PM

14. Imgflip

Who doesn't love memes? Imgflip is a meme generator tool that takes seconds to use. Upload your own image or browse from their collection to create a meme that will make your subscribers giggle. Templates are searchable, and you can also make simple GIFs or charts on the site.

Imgflip email design tools

Prototyping and Video Tools

15. InVision

This prototyping, collaboration, and workflow platform can be used for tasks like wireframing email journeys for automated email series. It's free to use and gives users access to impressive capabilities like real-time design meetings and whiteboarding, project management, and user testing.

InVision email design tools

16. PowerInbox

Bring static emails to life with PowerInbox's DynamicMail tool. Create real-time content, add video to email, and include dynamic animations using the platform's tools. Contact the company for information about pricing.

PowerInbox email design tools

Chart, Graph, and Survey Tools

17. Typeform

Just by visiting the Typeform site, it's obvious the brand knows good design—we've even featured them on the Email Design Workshop blog in the past. Without the need tosign up, users can use the free web-based tool to make elegant forms and surveys.

Typeform email design tools

18. Google Charts

If you have a Gmail account, you have access to a multitude of free tools from Google. While many of them—spreadsheets, task lists, calendars—are great for personal use, there are plenty that can make their way into your email campaigns, too. With Google Charts, you can create interactive charts and graphsin customizable colors and styles—but, you will need anunderstanding of how to code to optimize the tool.

Google Charts email design tools

19. Google Forms

Another great tool from Google is Forms, which allows you to "collect votes from your friends, survey your co-workers, or gather poll data into a sheet." It's easy and intuitive to create a new form, and you'll have theoption to send it via email, copy and paste the link of the form or embed it. Keep in mind that the embedded HTML as an iframe isn't supported by email clients. Feel free to check out our best practices on survey invitation emails.

Google Forms email design tools

20. Infogr.am

Among the free email design tools available, Infogr.am lets users create and publish data visualizations. Upload your own data and choose between line graphs, word clouds, area charts, scatter plots, and plentyof other options.

Infogr.am email design tools

21. The BEE Editor

We had to save the best for last! Our own Best Email Editor or BEE in short.With drag-and-drop functionality and beautiful templates, assembling one-of-a-kind emails is straightforward and fast. Plus, emails are always 100% responsive, so they look great across multiple devices and screens. Give it a try bysigning up for a BEE Pro account (with a 15-day free trial and only $15/month) and access our templates and additional features not found in the free version. To learn more about BEE Pro visit: http://beefree.io/pro/

new_editor_drag-n-drop_newUI1

By the way, some of the great tools mentioned above are now built into BEE: you can now search free stock photography from Pexels, Unsplash and Pixabay directly in the BEE editor. Learn more.

Which tools do you use?

What are your favorite email design tools? Which ones does your business use and rely on? Share in the comments section below!SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave

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Now, let's be honest—you’ve likely heard about all of these rotating for the last few years. While email marketing has come a long way and is changing faster than ever, there’s only so much you can do within 600x1,500 pixels. However, there are no limits to where your creativity can take you. 

Let’s get into it.  

#1. Unique, tailored experiences 

Damian Grabarczyk, the co-founder and growth marketer of PetLab Co., says, “We faced the challenge of connecting meaningfully with an audience that expects more than one-size-fits-all communication.” 

When we speak about crafting tailored emails we mean going beyond the recipient's first name in the subject line. We’re talking about optimizing your entire email strategy to design multi-stage touchpoints to nurture leads across the customer lifecycle. As well as, leveraging data to send hyper-personalized, relevant, and engaging emails that feel less like a broadcast message and more like a conversation. 

Many are using AI machine learning algorithms and AI automation to analyze customer interactions, past purchases, browsing habits, website visits, and even social media behavior to curate engaging email content that resonates deeply with the real-time needs of recipients.

For PetLab Co this looked like including content such as an individual’s pet health history or product usage timelines. Damian Grabarzyk expands, “This approach transformed the conversion rate and strengthened customer loyalty. As we look ahead, I see brands in 2025 moving beyond generic personalization to adopt strategies that make customers feel truly understood and valued.”

On the other hand, many are leaning into user-generated content (UGC) for crafting tailored experiences. Customers today are more likely to trust the opinions of peers over branded messages. UGC like customer reviews, testimonials, videos, and photos are the best form of social proof depicting real people using and benefitting from your products or services. 

We see the benefits of using both AI and UGC to get the most out of your email conversions ;). 

#2. AI tools as an addition, not a substitution

Experts at NordPass state, "AI-powered content generation tools are not here to replace email copywriters and marketers. These tools make us more efficient. The smarter the tool is, the better equipped we are to create high-performing email content that drives results." 

AI tools can support us by significantly enhancing the speed, precision, and effectiveness of your emails. For instance while traditionally A/B testing has required a lot of time to analyze small variations with AI you quickly implement and test multiple email elements and make adjustments based on real-time engagement data. There are AI algorithms that can even predict which variations are most likely to resonate with different audience segments, leading to more accurate targeting and faster optimization.

In short, AI tools are revolutionizing the way we craft and optimize our email’s deliverability. There are many different types of AI solutions so we suggest finding the right one for your needs. 

#3. Even more transparency around data

With AI continuing to rise, folks are more and more concerned about where their data is going. That’s where zero-party data collection becomes a key strategy in email marketing, allowing you to gather data directly from customers rather than relying on third-party sources. 

Zero-party data includes information that consumers willingly share, such as preferences, interests, and purchase intentions. This data is often collected through surveys, preference centers, quizzes, or interactive content and is highly valuable because it is shared explicitly, ensuring accuracy and deeper personalization without privacy concerns associated with third-party tracking.

As privacy regulations tighten, zero-party data will empower you to deliver hyper-personalized email experiences while respecting user privacy. This approach will help you build trust, as customers feel more in control of their data, and you gain insights that lead to more relevant and engaging email content.

#4. The death of static emails

With attention span getting shorter day after day, digest-format emails are expected to rise in popularity in 2025. Presenting email content in an easy-to-scan, organized, and minimalistic layout will surely help deliver the most relevant information in a fraction of the time. 

Additionally, interactive emails will allow recipients to directly engage within the email without having to visit a landing page or website. Interactive elements like product carousels, polls, and quizzes create a dynamic experience that keeps subscribers engaged, especially in visually driven industries like fashion brands

So what now? 

You’ve heard these strategies before, but now it’s time to actually put them into action. The brands that win at email marketing in 2025 won’t just be sending emails—they’ll be creating experiences. Whether it’s hyper-personalized content, AI-driven efficiency, zero-party data collection, or interactive emails that break the mold, the key is to stay ahead of the curve.

So, what’s the first strategy you’ll finally implement? Your inbox (and your audience) are waiting.

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What do customers think about your brand’s products? The best way to find out is to ask them directly, which you can do via strategic email campaigns.

Email makes gathering authentic product reviews quick and easy. By collecting sincere feedback, you can build trust, increase sales, boost loyalty, and innovate product improvements. 

That said, requesting reviews via email requires precise timing, personalized messaging, and lots of engagement optimizations. But don’t worry—we’ll walk you through some key steps to create email campaigns that deliver the valuable feedback you need.

Why product reviews matter

Product reviews do more than confirm that you're meeting customers’ needs. Sincere feedback drives loyalty and sales, offers valuable customer insights, and helps you develop a strategic product development roadmap.

  • Fosters customer loyalty: Requesting and listening to feedback makes your customers feel valued and heard. It demonstrates that you prioritize customer satisfaction, which helps you build stronger, long-term relationships. Review requests also act as re-engagement emails by starting new conversations with customers.
  • Increases sales: Social proof drives sales. According to a recent survey by Power Reviews, 90% of potential customers use online reviews to make purchasing decisions. In fact, reviews have more influence over purchasing decisions than product prices. Turning product reviews into customer testimonials and encouraging reviews on third-party sites can significantly boost sales.
Image sourced from powerreviews.com
  • Builds Customer 360 insights: Customer feedback delivers insights into customer needs and sentiments, enriching Customer 360. Exactly what is Customer 360? It’s a unified, 360-degree view of customer data. It empowers you to tailor products and customer experiences to meet individual needs and preferences. 
  • Drives product improvements: Sincere customer feedback reveals what target customers like/dislike about your products. It provides key insight into their value, functionality, and usability, unlocking large-scale development opportunities.

How to create an email campaign to collect product reviews

Want to unlock the power of product reviews? Let’s explore how to create email campaigns that encourage customers to share their feedback.

Segment your audience

Like promotional emails, product review requests shouldn’t be sent to every subscriber.

If subscribers haven’t had the chance to try your product, product review requests will feel irrelevant and may trigger unsubscriptions. So, only send review email requests to customers recently trying your product.

You can do this by segmenting your email list based on where customers are in the buying cycle. Target loyal customers, recent purchasers, and first-time buyers with tailored email campaigns. This ensures that you’re sending emails to customers most likely to respond with insightful feedback.

Write a compelling email subject line

According to Superoffice, 33% of people open an email based on the subject line. 

Image sourced from superoffice.com

To get the click-through rates you want, your email subject lines should be personalized, relevant, and engaging. Here are some examples:

  • Did you love [product]? Or hate it? Let us know!
  • We value your opinion — help us improve!
  • We want YOU to help us make our product better!
  • Up for a discount? Share your feedback for 10% off! 

Learn more > Tips for writing open worthy subject lines.

Optimize for customer engagement

A successful email marketing strategy relies on customer engagement. Here are some key email elements you need to encourage interactions.

  • An attractive email design: With the right layout, color scheme, typography, and images, you ensure easy readability and promote interaction. Use these engagement-boosting email design best practices to help you create a design that boosts conversion rates.
  • Gratitude and value: Thank customers for reading the email and explaining why their feedback is so important. Also, consider including a personalized Gmail email signature with your content details to build trust and encourage customers to engage with your review request. 
  • Personalized, relevant content: Personalized email content motivates engagement. Use customer data platform (CDP) data to tailor messages to individual customers. What is a CDP? It’s a centralized platform that collects and unifies customer information, building comprehensive customer profiles. 
  • Incentives: Offering a small discount can motivate customers to leave reviews, especially first-time buyers. That said, incentives can (sometimes) generate insincere reviews, so stress the importance of honesty. 
  • A strong call-to-action (CTA): Your CTA should direct readers straight to the reviews submission page. Use clear CTAs with bold buttons and typography to make it stand out.
  • Mobile responsiveness: If your emails are slow to load or don’t display correctly on mobile devices, your bounce rate will spike. Leverage solutions that offer advanced mobile optimization features — such as Beefree— to create responsive emails every single time.

Ask specific, concise questions

Complex, drawn-out questions that are too open-ended can disengage customers. So, get straight to the point with concise, direct questions. Here are some examples:

  • What did you think of [specific product feature]?
  • How often do you use our product?
  • What are your favorite/least favorite features?
  • How likely are you to recommend this product?
  • What could we do to improve our product?

Use a mixture of closed and open-ended questions to increase your chances of receiving meaningful responses.

Make it easy to respond

The easier it is for customers to leave a review, the more responses you’ll receive. So, make the process as seamless and convenient as possible. One way to do this is with survey emails.

Email surveys have high response rates. They can be completed within the email with minimal effort, which is a big plus for busy customers. And, they can generate a wealth of quantitative data and metrics that are quick to analyze, leading to faster improvements. BeeFree has an extensive collection of email survey templates to suit every need.

For longer review requests, include a CTA that directly links to the review submission page. Review forms should use simple, clear language, be optimized for mobile, and have a progress bar. 

You could even provide your telephone contact details to allow customers to leave a review via telephone. It’s the preferred communication method for 55% of Baby Boomers according to Hubspot, so it’s worth considering. 

Leverage small business telephone services from Vonage to access call center capabilities like virtual receptionists and CRM integrations, streamlining processes.

Also consider directing customers to leave reviews on popular review sites, such as Google and Amazon.

Optimize email timings

If you send product review requests too early, there’s a chance your customers won’t have tried your product yet. But if you send them too late, your customer might have forgotten their experience. 

So, when’s the best time to request reviews? 

Aim to send review requests within 7-14 days post-purchase. This gives customers a chance to try the product a few times, leading to more sincere, meaningful reviews. Plan for seasonal surges such as Black Friday and incorporate them into your schedules.

Key takeaways

Do email campaigns work for gathering valuable product reviews that drive improvements, boost trust, and increase sales and loyalty? 

Absolutely — but they need to be strategic.

To generate sincere reviews and valuable data, ensure your marketing emails are personalized, engaging, and optimized for convenience. And, use email list segmentation and marketing automation to ensure they’re sent to the right customers at the right time.

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