emparo needs a modular email system to replace a single, hand-built 2016 newsletter. The new template is built from a handful of reusable blocks that combine into any send, work across four languages, and render cleanly in Outlook and dark mode. The result should let the team assemble an issue in minutes rather than half a day.
Overview & Goals
- Replace the outdated single-column 2016 layout with a modular, block-based system
- Support four languages without breaking layout or hierarchy
- Guarantee correct rendering in Outlook on Windows and in dark mode
- Keep the HTML platform-agnostic so it can move from Mailchimp to Klaviyo without rework
Budget & Timeline
The six weeks run from kickoff to the first live send on the new template. Early time goes to building and Outlook-testing the core blocks, since that is where a third of the list reads. The remaining weeks cover the full four-language pass, dark mode checks at 320 pixels wide, and documentation so the team can assemble sends without support.
Site & build
- Logo files
- Vector file (SVG, AI, EPS or PDF)
- Content
- Mixed
- Voice
- Trustworthy, Elegant
- Email platform
- Mailchimp today, but we are evaluating a move to Klaviyo. Build the blocks so the HTML can be lifted out, with no platform-specific tags baked into the layout.
- Kinds of email
- The fortnightly newsletter, seasonal offers, and the occasional announcement such as a new category or a delivery change.
- Who fills it
- Our team, in the email tool
Target Audience
The brand's own newsletter list: roughly 40,000 subscribers who receive a biweekly send in four languages. They already know emparo as a Swiss home, kitchen, tech, sport and garden retailer, so the template needs to read as familiar, trustworthy and easy to scan across markets.
Brand Story & Voice
emparo sells home, kitchen, tech, sport and garden products from a Swiss warehouse, and the newsletter is its main recurring touchpoint with subscribers. The redesign should carry the same calm, dependable retail voice into a format the team can actually keep up with.
Logo & Style
Logo to use
Files available: Vector file (SVG, AI, EPS or PDF)
Typography
Keep the current type
- InterHeadlines · Google Fonts, free to use
Colour
Colors to use
Measured on the material that was sent.
References & Moodboard
1 source captured. Click any of them to see it full size.
In the client's own words
Our newsletter goes out every two weeks to around 40,000 subscribers and it looks like it was built in 2016, because it was. It is a single-column table with product images pasted in by hand, it breaks in Outlook, and building one takes a colleague half a day. We need a modular template: a handful of blocks we can combine, in four languages, that survives Outlook and dark mode. The content changes every time, the structure should not.
Scope & Deliverables
- A library of reusable, documented HTML email blocks covering hero, product grid, offer, announcement and text content
- Four-language support built into the block structure
- Outlook on Windows and dark mode tested rendering
- Platform-agnostic HTML with no Mailchimp-specific tags, ready to lift into Klaviyo
- Handover as individual documented snippets rather than one finished email
Do's & Don'ts
Do
- Test in Outlook on Windows before anything else
- Make every block work at 320 pixels wide
- Build blocks the team can combine freely for each send
- Keep the HTML free of platform-specific tags so it can move to Klaviyo
Don't
- Do not rely on background images
- Do not rely on web fonts
- Do not design a block that only works with a perfect product photo
- Do not hand over a single finished email instead of reusable blocks