Best Email Design Practices We Use for Brands Like Mud\WTR

The inbox is a battleground—and design is your opening move. But let’s be clear: effective email design isn’t about cramming in more graphics or chasing trends. It’s about communicating value quickly, clearly, and persuasively.

At Sticky Digital, we’ve built high-converting email campaigns for brands like Mud\WTR by treating design as an extension of strategy. Every pixel, module, and layout choice is intentional—and always in service of the message.

Here are the email design principles we trust because they work—grounded in data, built with purpose, and proven at scale.

1. Hierarchy Comes First

We don’t design for attention—we design for action. That means every email starts with structure, not style.

Our hierarchy principles:

• Clear headline → subcopy → CTA
• Only one or two focal points per scroll
• Tight modular design to guide skimming

If users can’t understand what the email is offering in three seconds, the design isn’t doing its job.

2. Mobile-First (Actually)

More than 70% of opens happen on mobile. We don’t just check for responsiveness—we design for it from the start.

Our mobile-first tactics:

• Buttons large enough to tap with one hand
• Readable font sizes and line spacing
• Layouts that collapse cleanly, without burying the CTA

3. Strategy Leads, Design Follows

We don’t build emails to be pretty. We build them to convert. Whether the goal is education, upsell, or reactivation, design decisions are driven by lifecycle objectives—not a vague aesthetic brief.

For Mud\WTR, that meant using narrative-driven copy paired with structured, skimmable layouts that emphasized transformation, not just transaction. It’s a delicate balance of wellness ethos and ecommerce clarity—and it works.

Curious how design connects to KPIs? Read: High-Performing Emails

4. Design Is Personalization

Dynamic content isn’t just a backend feature—it should be reflected in how the email looks and feels.

We use:

• Personalized modules that respond to customer behavior
• Product feeds styled to match brand tone
• Creative adjustments based on loyalty tier or subscription status

When design adapts to context, engagement goes up—every time.

5. Brand Voice, Visualized

Design should never dilute your brand. It should sharpen it.

Mud\WTR’s voice is earthy, elevated, and introspective. Our designs reflect that—organic textures, space to breathe, and modular blocks that feel editorial without sacrificing clarity. No plug-and-play templates. No Canva chaos. Just intentional design that reflects the brand, the audience, and the goal.

6. We Test, Learn, and Iterate—Always

If you’re not testing your email creative, you’re guessing.

We test:

• Hero image placement
• Button language and color
• Layout structure (stacked vs. grid)
• Whether to lead with copy, visual, or offer

And then we apply the learnings. Not six months later—next send.

Ready to Elevate Your Email Design?

Sticky Digital builds email systems for ecommerce brands that don’t just want to “stay in touch”—they want to grow.

If you’re tired of beautiful emails that don’t perform, or stuck in flows that look great but convert poorly, let’s build something smarter.

👉 Let’s talk about your email design strategy.