Introduction
Designing emails is not the same as building a website. Websites use the latest technologies, but emails still have to account for older systems and dozens of different email clients (such as Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail). As a result, an email may look perfect in one program but appear messy in another.
Limitations & email clients
Because every email client renders emails differently, a design may look slightly different everywhere. An email that appears clean and well-structured on an iPhone may shift or be displayed less attractively in Outlook. We take as many of these limitations into account as possible to ensure your email looks as good as possible, on both desktop and mobile.
Common limitations
- Limited fonts: not every email client displays the font you have selected. Outlook and Gmail often automatically replace fonts with their own defaults. That’s why Xendy always uses safe fonts and automatically falls back to Arial or Helvetica if the selected font is not available.
- No interactive features: elements that are common on websites, such as dropdown menus, sliders, or animations, do not work in emails. This is because most email clients block these features for security reasons. However, you can use a GIF in Xendy to add animation effects to an email.
- Images: many email clients only display images after the recipient gives permission. This means an email may look incomplete without images. Tip: in Xendy, set an alt text and a URL for the image. This ensures something is visible while the image loads, and it increases the chance that images will be displayed because a link is present underneath.
- Email size: when an email is too large, for example due to many heavy images, it may be clipped in the inbox. Gmail sometimes automatically trims long emails. Xendy automatically reduces image sizes and monitors file size to ensure your email remains fully visible.
Formatting challenges in Outlook
Outlook is known for its limited support of modern formatting. This may cause certain elements to appear differently than expected. For example, round buttons: Outlook cannot render these correctly. In Xendy, they are therefore automatically converted into a small image so the button looks correct in all clients.
Another common issue is thin white lines that sometimes appear randomly within an email. This is due to the way Outlook displays tables and borders. Xendy cannot fully resolve this, but you can make the lines less noticeable by using a white background in your design.
Why these limitations exist
Email was originally created as a simple text communication tool. Many email clients still rely on that old foundation and include additional security to prevent spam and viruses. As a result, the capabilities are more limited than websites and an email may look slightly different in each program.
What does this mean for you?
Xendy has solved most limitations in email design. We ensure your emails are safe and readable in every client. However, it is still possible that your design will not look exactly the same everywhere. This is normal and something that all companies sending emails must consider.
Frequently asked questions
Email was originally designed as a simple way to send text. Many email clients still operate based on this old foundation and use strict security measures to prevent spam and viruses. As a result, capabilities are more limited than on websites and emails may display differently in each client.
Because every email client renders emails differently, a design may appear slightly different everywhere. An email that looks clean and organised on an iPhone may shift or display less attractively in Outlook. We take as many of these limitations into account as possible to ensure your email looks as good as possible, both on desktop and mobile.
