Project Overview
This project was aimed at creating a streamlined and cohesive design framework for all marketing emails at The Washington Post. The goal was to develop a design system to enhance efficiency and ensure brand consistency across the email channel and the wider product ecosystem. This EDS empowers the Brand Email team to rapidly produce a variety of high-quality emails that meet the demands of a fast-paced news cycle.
Discovery
The existing email workflow was inefficient and lacked flexibility, hindering the team’s ability to respond quickly. The Subscriptions team in particular requires rapid turnaround times, highlighting the need for a more agile and scalable solution. The absence of a unified design system led to inconsistencies in design and code, resulting in a fragmented brand experience. The key challenge was to create a system that would not only accelerate production but also reinforce brand consistency and customer trust. We were also dealing with the added challenge of migrating from one Email Service Provider to another during this time.
Process
- Completed a comprehensive audit of all existing marketing email designs to identify inconsistencies and areas for improvement, as well as break down module and component needs
- Designed every module and component, using inspiration from the website, app, newsletters and the core WPDS, as well as best practices for email
- Created a Figma library
- Created reusable code snippets to use in our ESP
- Built a catalog of templates in our ESP
Final Design
The WP Marketing Email Design System provided a centralized and standardized framework for creating marketing emails. This included a comprehensive Figma design library, a modular HTML/CSS codebase, and detailed documentation. By aligning email designs with the broader Washington Post Design System and our products, we strengthened brand recognition and built customer trust. The new templates are easily adaptable, allowing for rapid iterations and responses to the fast-paced news environment.
