Emailer Template: A.J. Stetson

As a New York resident, A.J. Stetson saw his community rise up amid a global pandemic to support and call attention to the Black Lives Matter movement. This backdrop inspired his latest project, NYC Masked. A.J. has big plans for the portraits that celebrate his New York neighbors — and we were happy to help him.

I worked with AJ to create an emailer template that curates this project but could also be used for future announcements. Based on his clean and structured website, I sent him five rough drafts to choose from. While some show a simple grid, I took the opportunity to add color and find balance between the imagery and text.

A.J. was a fan of the grid format in option 1, as well as the overall design and variety of image size in option 4. So, we moved with clear direction onto round two, which involves building the emailer in an emailer service provider, or ESP (not a clairvoyant). Originally, we settled on Mailchimp. But after learning about the thoughtful messages A.J. wanted to send to his carefully researched client-list, we decided that personal messages were the best way to establish a meaningful connection. So, I continued the edit in Photoshop and prepared to save the newsletter as one image.

The final design was a pyramid layout. A.J. liked option 4 but wanted to show more images. So, we went with a single, header image in the top row, three photos in the middle, and 7 photos in the bottom row. This lets the viewer see the detail of the photo, while grasping the quantity of photos in this project.

The final step required figuring out the optimal layout. Since A.J.’s message was regular text, we had to find the best size and placement for the email attachment. We decided on the best width at 500px wide. And, when we split up the personal message with an introduction, the attachment, and a closing — we found the email to be purposeful and balanced.

Need help putting together a fresh new emailer template? Shoot us an email or give us a call at 610 260 0200.