Guide
Email Design Agency
Some people still consider email marketing "dead." But in a world of constant privacy and data changes, growing CPCs and CACs, it gets extremely difficult to deny how much email marketing, when done right, contributes to keeping a business up and running.
Putting together a successful email marketing campaign can be tricky. It consumes time, and there are many technical factors to consider. That's where the professionals come in — email design agencies that specialize in one thing and one thing only: email design.
If you're looking for one, there are a few things you need to know first — what an email design agency is, what they do exactly, and how to find the right one. Price, services, turnaround, and tech stack all matter. We break down everything below.
What is an Email Design Agency?
An email design agency is a specialized group of email marketers who focus on designing and building high-converting emails for their clients.
"Specialized group of email marketers"
To be a successful email designer you need to know more than just graphic design. Psychology, marketing, why people buy, and how people consume content are just some of the things an email designer needs to think about. It often takes a very long time to properly onboard and train people in the art of email design, which is why most brands opt for hiring an agency rather than doing it in-house.
"Designing and building high-converting emails"
Email design agencies spend hours analyzing past performance, what subscribers clicked vs. skimmed, heat maps, and overall clarity and credibility of the design. The appeal of an email is most often not as important as its actual function and clarity. Doing this in-house takes significant time and resources that many brands simply don't have.
How Do You Find an Email Design Agency?
Finding an email design agency isn't difficult — just type "Email Design Agency" into Google. But finding the right agency can take months of calls, proposals, and consideration. When vetting an agency, you need to evaluate four key areas:
How Long Does It Take to Design an Email?
Research from Litmus found that 23% of respondents say it takes a few days or less, 24% say about a week, and 53% say it typically takes more than two weeks. For large teams (11+ people), 20% say it takes over a month.
92%
of our emails done in ≤ 3 days
80%+
completed in just 2 days
53%
of brands take 2+ weeks (Litmus)
Hiring an agency doesn't just cut time spent designing, building, and testing — it frees you up to focus on strategy and reviewing performance. Take a look at how our process works to see the difference. If an agency says it takes more than 4 days to do a single email, that's a red flag. Similarly, if they promise dozens in a single day — expect compromised quality.
What Does an Email Designer Do?
If an agency says "our designers do everything in Photoshop" — that's a red flag. Email design is not a simple task, and if a single person handles everything, quality suffers. Our creative process involves four distinct roles:
- 1
Senior Designer
Reviews past performance and gives design directions based on detailed analysis.
- 2
Implementation Designer
Designs the email, implements it in your ESP, and tests for responsiveness and accessibility.
- 3
QA Specialist
Reviews the email for any and all defects — across clients, devices, and dark mode.
- 4
Final Design Review
The same senior designer who set the direction reviews the finished work before delivery.
You don't want just a single "dedicated" designer working on your account. If an agency boasts one dedicated designer, expect to see few to no improvements after the first couple of emails.
What Tools Do You Use to Design an Email?
Many ESPs have built-in editors, but relying solely on those limits what you can actually achieve. When vetting an agency, ask about their tech stack. At The Better Creative, we use a mix of Adobe Suite, Stripo, Email on Acid, and whatever ESP the client uses — yes, really, any ESP.
Don't settle for an agency that does simple drag-and-drop emails inside your ESP, or one that creates Photoshop files you then have to cut, implement, and test yourself — only to find out it's not optimized for any email client.
How Much Does a Custom Email Design Cost?
Pricing is often based on the type and number of campaigns. At most agencies, a single email can range from $500 to $1,000 for a basic design, and up to $2,000+ for complex ones.
$150
per email — regardless of complexity
Includes senior designer direction, implementation in your ESP, and rigorous QA testing. We bet you can't do all of that in-house for the same price. See full pricing details →
Some Final Thoughts
If you're looking to get ahead of your competition, lower your email design costs, improve quality, or free up your time to focus on other things — an email design agency is the way to go. There is a case to be made for an in-house designer, but for the price and the breadth of what an agency delivers, it's clear why most brands choose this path.