These days, it doesn’t matter where you are or what you’re doing, people are incessantly attached to their mobile phones. Whether you’re riding on the subway, walking a city street or working in an office park, the sight of people talking, texting and surfing the Internet is so commonplace that you probably take it for granted. Everyone, it seems, owns a smartphone or a tablet. However, there is a certain ebb and flow to how technology works. While widespread mobile use has become part of the American landscape, fewer and fewer people are using desktop computers to check their email. What does this mean for businesses across the country? It means that in order to specifically target the growing number of smartphone users, businesses have had to revamp and redesign their email newsletters in order to make them more compatible for these devices.

The Art of Mobile Email

The overall layout for mobile email is different than the average desktop. As an employer, the last thing you want is for an email memo to be blurry, microscopic or unreadable. An employee telling you, ”Sorry, I couldn’t read the email,” is lot like hearing them say, “The dog ate my homework.” Let’s break down the numbers and statistics. It’s said that 600 pixels is the traditional layout width for an email. On the other hand, email for a smartphone needs to be adjusted to 480 pixels. When it comes to an email being received on a mobile device, readability is key. In order to ensure readability on a smartphone, the email needs to be scaled down to 50 percent of its traditional size. So, once the numbers are crunched, it’s time to redesign. Here are three tips to get you started.

1. The grid design works well for cities, and it also works well for mobile devices. In other words, you need to design the email using vertical and horizontal blocks. This will make your content clean, sharp and unified. A grid layout is appealing to the eye of the viewer. The old masters used the golden triangle when they designed their paintings. In the tech marketing world, the grid is the equivalent of the golden triangle.

2. In order to ensure readability, the text needs to be larger. Pay special attention to headlines and important themes. However, if the text needs to be larger and you have a smaller area in which to create the email, then you’re going to have to write emails that are brief and streamlined. Steer clear of fluff and extraneous details.

3. Color coding has always been an excellent way to organize and present important information. This type of design layout holds true for a mobile device as well. You can use different background colors to separate and compartmentalize the different themes and ideas in your email. A nice balance of color and text will not only add precision and organization to your email, it will give it a bold and memorable aesthetic.

The well-designed marketing email is a combination of form and function. The broad, desktop canvas needs to be scaled down into small, pointillist dots. With a few alterations, you can create the ideal email design for a mobile device. With email being more important than ever, you have every reason to pursue an email campaign that’s more accessible to your mobile users.