How to achieve unique design elements in your email campaigns

Let’s be honest: Template builders are brilliant… until they aren’t.

You’ve got the structure, you’ve got the content.
But the layout feels a bit meh, the buttons don’t pop, and everything starts looking like every other newsletter in the inbox.

Good news?
You don’t need to be a developer to make your emails stand out.

Here’s how to bring some flair into your campaigns, while staying inside the box (literally).

1. Use transparent PNGS for more flexible design

Want rounded images or graphics that don’t sit in a boring square box? PNGs with transparent backgrounds will be your best friend.

Add images that are circular, have rounded edges or any other shape to make your campaigns look less blocky
Add icons that float next to a block of text
Use a transparent logo to create a more seamless design

2. Use custom spacing to create a cleaner layout

Template builders often default to chunky padding or uneven spacing. Tweak it manually!

Use empty dividers or small text blocks to fine-tune spacing
Adjust margins to create breathing room
Play with vertical rhythm for better flow

A little whitespace goes a long way.

3. Go wild with button styles

Buttons don’t need to be boring! Even inside a standard builder, you can get creative:

Use ALL CAPS or sentence case, depending on your tone
Add emojis
Play with border radius to soften corners
Stack multiple CTAs with different styles (but not too many)
Create really unique buttons as an image or GIF

4. Mix font weights and colours for hierarchy

Many builders let you use multiple font styles within a block; take advantage of that.

Bold headlines with subtle subtext
Use your brand colour for keywords only
Add emphasis with italic or underline (sparingly)

Remember that a clear hierarchy makes for easy reading.

5. Break the grid with creative layouts

Your builder probably gives you 1-column, 2-column, and 3-column layouts. But you can cheat the system.

Use images and text blocks to fake a more complex layout
Add visual breaks with horizontal lines or colour blocks
Stack image + caption combos to mimic gallery-style content

Conclusion

Just because you’re using a template doesn’t mean your email has to look templated. With a few clever tweaks, you can make your campaigns look polished, branded, and totally on point, without needing a custom build or dev team.