H&Co Emails

I got ninety-nine emails (and bespoke, each one).*

My personal rule of thumb for developing emails used to be: First, pretend it’s 10 years ago. Next, don’t try anything today that wasn’t possible then. And finally, you’re still probably going to be screwed.

After 13 years at H&Co, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible — for email, but also, you know, everything — I’ve reversed my position: If you want to try something you’ve never done, or seen anyone else do, just go for it.

H&Co Email Coding — A glimpse into the message source reveals web font implementation, light and dark mode support, and media queries to swap images based on screen size. In many instances, I altered the layout of desktop and mobile designs if it told the story or presented the type in a better way — a common technique for websites but really underutilized in email.

Responsible for designing and coding each H&Co marketing email, I wanted to explore new techniques and push the boundaries of what was possible in email communications. Beginning in 2014, coinciding with the launch of Discover.typography — H&Co’s first mobile-friendly website experience — I started working to make all email campaigns fully responsive. In 2015, I helped introduce support for subscribers to serve web fonts in their emails via our web font delivery tool, Cloud.typography. This also allowed us to start designing with web fonts in our own emails. In 2020, we introduced dark and light mode support, strengthening our commitment to deliver the best possible and most attractive on-brand experience to every reader, regardless of screen size, device type, operating system, email app, or individual viewing preferences.

The only thing I really kept consistent over 13 years of campaigns was the grid width. Though I reused layouts when possible, repurposed artwork when helpful, and re-featured content when appropriate, no two emails were ever perfectly alike. There was no one template. Every new element I designed or new layout I figured out how to deliver became another storytelling technique in our ever-expanding kit of custom crafted pieces.

* I think the true number is closer to ninety-one, but that really kills the reference. And while I did design and code almost every H&Co email campaign sent between 2009 and 2021, seven were designed by Jonathan alone or a designer working under my guidance, and four were coded by another developer… though I’ll leave it a mystery as to which ones.