Mobile-First Email Design
With over 40% of emails opened on mobile, designing for small screens first ensures your most important audience has the best experience.
The Mobile-First Mindset
Mobile-first means starting your design with the mobile experience and adding complexity for larger screens, not the reverse. This ensures the mobile experience is intentional rather than a compromised version of desktop.
Single Column Layout
Start with a single column layout. It reads naturally on mobile without needing to resize or stack. Add multi-column variations for desktop only when genuinely beneficial to the content.
Touch-Friendly Design
- Minimum 44x44px touch targets for buttons and links
- Adequate spacing between clickable elements
- Larger text sizes (minimum 14px body text)
- Clear, obvious buttons rather than text links
Content Prioritization
Mobile screens show less content at once. Front-load your most important message. Put the primary CTA near the top. Make your main point clear without scrolling.
Typography for Mobile
- Body text: 14-16px minimum
- Headlines: 22-28px for clear hierarchy
- Line height: 1.4-1.5 for readability
- System fonts load faster and render reliably
Image Considerations
Images should be responsive, scaling down on smaller screens. Avoid images with small text that becomes unreadable on mobile. Consider whether images add enough value on mobile to justify download time.
Testing on Devices
Preview tools help, but test on actual mobile devices. Check both iOS and Android. Test in Gmail app, Apple Mail, and Outlook mobile. Rotate between portrait and landscape.
Mobile-First with AI
Sequenzy generates mobile-optimized templates by default. The AI designs for mobile first, ensuring every email works beautifully on any device.