Cohen Financial Emails
Timeline
3 months
Client
Cohen Financial Group
UX Researcher, Visual Designer
Role
Process
Research, Personas, Wireframing, Design
PROJECT OVERVIEW
The Problem
Cohen Financial, one of our clients at Draft Creative, was looking to improve its weekly newsletter. The email design was a complex challenge characterized by an overwhelming amount of dense, undifferentiated text. The existing format presented a significant barrier to information consumption, making it difficult for readers to quickly identify and engage with relevant content. The email’s design lacked a clear visual hierarchy, resulting in a cluttered and overwhelming user experience. This information overload hindered effective communication and potentially led to decreased reader engagement and retention.
The Goal
Our goal was to improve the readability of the weekly newsletter. Taking cues from Mark’s other emails (see image below), we designed with simplicity, visual hierarchy, and clear calls to action in mind——the redesign aimed to effectively communicate key information through clear stratification and prioritization of content. By simplifying the complex text into digestible sections, the goal was to improve the overall user experience and increase reader engagement. The project required close collaboration with engineers to develop a solution that not only met aesthetic standards but also optimized technical implementation for efficient delivery.
RESEARCH
Know Your Customers
To inform the redesign of Cohen Financial’s weekly newsletter, we developed three distinct personas representing key audience segments. Based on our analytics and user research, we developed three distinct personas that represent Mark Cohen’s target audience. By understanding their specific goals, challenges, and needs, we were able to tailor the newsletter’s content, structure, and tone to resonate with each group. These personas served as our north star throughout the design process, ensuring that the final product effectively addressed the unique requirements of Cohen Financial’s diverse readership.
IDEATE
Stripping Away the Numbers
To address the problem of the overwhelming text and lack of visual hierarchy, we began by creating wireframes that focused on establishing clarity. We prioritized content based on its importance to different user segments, as outlined in our personas. By breaking down the dense text into modular components, we aimed to improve readability and navigation. The wireframes served as a blueprint for organizing information, guiding the user’s eye through the email, and ensuring that essential content was prominently displayed.
FINESSE
Finalizing the Design
With a strong foundation laid, we moved on to refining the design and bringing it to life. Inspired by the simplicity and effectiveness of Mark’s other emails, we focused on creating a clean, visually appealing layout that complemented the content structure. We experimented with different color palettes, typography, and imagery to enhance the overall aesthetic and brand identity. By closely collaborating with engineers, we ensured that the final design was technically feasible and optimized for email clients. This iterative approach allowed us to create a newsletter that not only looked great but also effectively communicated key information to our target audience.
Building upon the insights gleaned from our initial email design and the data it generated, we developed these additional emails, as seen at the bottom of this page. These designs incorporate refinements based on user feedback and performance metrics, demonstrating our iterative approach to optimizing email effectiveness.
