How Better Collaboration Between Designers and Developers Leads to Better Emails
They were both brilliant — but not speaking the same language.
On one side: a designer with a perfectly balanced layout, custom typography, and delightful microinteractions sketched out in Figma. On the other: a developer, staring at the design and thinking, “This is going to break in Outlook.”
We’ve all seen it. The handoff that wasn’t really a handoff. The email that looked beautiful in concept but fell apart on delivery. The tension between aesthetics and execution.
Email is already a tricky medium. The last thing it needs is a disconnect between the people designing and the people building. But when collaboration works? That’s when emails shine — technically sound, visually clear, emotionally engaging.
This article is about closing the gap. How better collaboration between designers and developers doesn’t just make life easier — it makes the email better for everyone.
Why Email Collaboration Is Especially Tricky
Email is not a webpage. It lives in an environment full of quirks, restrictions, and wildly inconsistent rendering engines. A stunning visual can turn into a usability nightmare if it’s not built with the quirks of email clients in mind.
Unlike web projects, where design systems and CSS frameworks reign, email lives in its own messy universe. No flexbox. No JavaScript. Limited media queries. Add in Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, and dozens of mobile clients — and you’ve got a design-to-dev pipeline that demands more conversation than assumption.
Common Pain Points Between Designers and Developers
- Designs that ignore email limitations — such as hover states, custom fonts, or complex layouts that won’t render reliably
- Developers altering layouts silently to make them work, without consulting the designer
- Time wasted on rework when email breaks in testing and finger-pointing begins
- Disagreements on what “good enough” looks like under email constraints
None of these are dealbreakers — they’re signals that the collaboration needs to shift upstream.
Case Study: From Design Silo to Email Dream Team
At one fintech startup I worked with, the marketing team designed a slick onboarding series: vibrant colors, icons, dynamic columns — a designer’s dream. But the developer, used to transactional emails, stripped the design down to basic text and a blue CTA.
The result? Confusion. Disappointment. And churn.
So we reworked the process. The designer and developer met early. They walked through layout goals, tested component ideas live in Litmus, and agreed on fallback behaviors. The result? Emails that looked polished, loaded fast, worked across devices, and felt like the app experience extended into the inbox.
Engagement jumped by 22%. The designer felt heard. The developer felt supported. The user got something better. That’s the power of true collaboration.
Principles of Effective Collaboration
If your design-dev handoff feels like a game of broken telephone, it’s time to replace it with real partnership. Here’s how.
1. Align on the Purpose of the Email First
Before anyone opens Figma or VS Code, everyone should understand what the email is trying to achieve. Is it:
- A transactional message confirming an action?
- A marketing piece driving click-through?
- An onboarding guide walking the user through setup?
- A reactivation email trying to win someone back?
Knowing the purpose helps set priorities. Some emails can afford heavier design. Others need to be lean, readable, and lightning-fast.
2. Design with Real Constraints in Mind
Designers should know the medium. That means understanding:
- Which email clients support background images
- When to use inline styles vs. external CSS
- Why spacing and padding often break without table-based layout
- How dark mode might reverse your color choices
This doesn’t mean limiting creativity. It means designing responsibly — with flexibility, fallback, and function baked in.
3. Developers Should Respect the Intent of the Design
On the flip side, developers should avoid over-simplifying just to make their job easier. There’s usually a way to honor the spirit of a design — with small compromises — without gutting it entirely.
If a layout can’t be replicated exactly, bring the designer in. Talk about what can stay, what can adapt, and what still communicates the idea.
4. Use Prototypes, Not Just Static Mockups
Clickable prototypes reduce ambiguity. If designers can show interactions — like mobile stacking, button focus states, or preferred spacing — it helps devs understand the rhythm and hierarchy.
Tools like Figma, InVision, or even animated GIFs in documentation can bridge the intent-to-execution gap.
5. Set Up a Shared Email Component Library
Many teams now use design systems for web. Why not for email?
Create a library of:
- Pre-tested buttons
- Responsive layouts
- Reusable header/footer blocks
- Dark mode variations
- Fallbacks for images, fonts, and links
This gives designers building blocks they know are safe, and gives developers code that doesn’t need to be reinvented every time.
Communication Tips That Actually Work
- Hold kickoff meetings for major email campaigns
- Use shared Slack channels or threads to resolve issues in real time
- Leave inline comments in Figma or code commits for clarity
- Celebrate small wins — like a layout that finally works in Outlook!
It doesn’t have to be formal. It has to be consistent.
Developer Empathy, Designer Empathy
When designers see the rendering tests, they appreciate the technical challenge. When developers hear the intention behind a layout, they appreciate the nuance. That’s mutual respect — and it changes everything.
Want to build that empathy?
- Have designers sit in on code QA
- Have developers weigh in on wireframes early
- Do joint inbox testing sessions
- Collect feedback together from real users
This transforms email from a battle zone into a shared craft.
Design + Dev = Emails That Work and Wow
Great emails don’t come from silos. They come from collaboration.
When designers and developers partner early, align on goals, and iterate together, the result is email that doesn’t just look good or work well — it does both.
It delights the user. It performs. And it reflects the maturity of your product and brand.
Final Thought: Build the Bridge Before the Build
It’s easy to say “just collaborate better.” But collaboration isn’t magic — it’s a process. It’s a habit. And in the fast-moving world of email marketing and product communication, it can make or break the outcome.
If you want better emails, don’t just look at the code or the comps. Look at the space between the two. That’s where the magic — and the missed opportunities — live.
Still thinking it through? Contact me here and I’ll help you get it right.