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Tell us about your career journey so far.

I’ve been working in the digital creative space for more than 15 years. Mostly in retail – I’m not sure how that happened, but all these years later, here I am.

Which brands do you think are killing it from a design perspective?

I think there are always the big brands – Apple, Nike, DWR, etc that do such an amazing job of design and storytelling in general. Paypal recently updated their app and website and it looks fresh and fun.

Some of my personal favorite brands doing great design work (both with their product offering and marketing in general) are: Billy Reid, Hiroshi Kato, Imogene + Willie, Mill Scale Metalworks, Pinch London, Lostine, Shoppe Amber Interiors, Magnolia, and so many others…I could keep going!

How do you approach a new email design?

Normally, it starts with the story you’re trying to tell and the customer you’re trying to speak to.

From there a myriad of decisions are needed – is it more editorial, promotional or dynamic/transactional? Do we need to use a standard email pattern from the library or does it require something custom? Animation or static? Those are the types of things from a creative perspective I’m thinking through when starting a new email.

How do you see creative roles changing over the next few years?

I think the easy answer is something AI related and utilizing those tools. There’s a lot of nuance there – how do you bring stories to life in a brand appropriate way vs. creating something that feels a little generic.

My hope is there’s more time to spend on doing things that will move people in some sort of meaningful way and the basic things are left to new tools that can speed the production processes up.

Do you use any AI tools?

I’ve tried many of them out but I wouldn’t say I use them consistently – not yet anyways. From all the embedded tools that Apple, Google, Adobe, Canva, Squarespace, etc all have built-in to their applications…to Midjourney, ChatGPT, StarryAI and others – it’s been really interesting exploring them all and utilizing their capabilities in different ways.

What’s in your email marketing toolbox?

Hardware:

• I have a newer 15-inch Macbook Pro, and it’s pretty much all I need!

Software:

• Figma
• Adobe Suite
• Slack
• Many of the Google apps
• Apple Music is always playing something by Jack White while I work…

I am a bit of a nomad being a laptop person so I normally move around quite a bit. But when I sit and focus it’s at a desk in my bedroom.

What skills do you think are most important when it comes to email design?

Knowing product design and how to work within a design system (even for email) have become so fundamental to the overall approach of an entire email program – not just creating individual mods or full emails. And then…knowing when to break the system to create something new and unique.

What is your advice for new designers entering the industry?

Make sure you know the problem you’re trying to solve (the what) before jumping in. It’s the guide to almost all of your solutions.

I’m a 90/10 person – if you’re 90 percent of the way there don’t overthink that last 10 and beat it to death. Strive for perfection but know it really doesn’t exist – if it feels good it probably is.

Have some fun too…it is creative at the end of the day!

Much love,
Andy

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @emaillove