\u201cYou can\u2019t use HTML5 or CSS3 in email.\u201d<\/p>\n
Due to their \u201climited\u201d support, the idea that using HTML5 and CSS3 in email is “impossible” remains a commonly-held notion throughout the email design industry. However, we’re calling it a complete myth.<\/p>\n
While support certainly isn\u2019t universal, many of the leading email clients support HTML5 and CSS3. In fact, about 50% of the total market<\/a> and 3 out of the top 5 email clients support them. Support may be even bigger for your particular audience.<\/p>\n But, what about the clients that don\u2019t support these advanced functionalities? How will your email look to those subscribers? When it comes to email, it\u2019s all about providing your subscribers with a great experience. However, this doesn\u2019t mean that your email has to look the same across every client\u2014it just needs to be easily accessible for all of your subscribers.<\/p>\n Two of our favorite email rockstars\u2014Jonathan Kim and Brian Graves\u2014have emphasized the varying approaches being used: defensive email design and progressive enhancement.<\/p>\n Jonathan Kim<\/a> presented \u201cPushing the Limits of Email<\/a>\u201d at our Mobile Masterclass workshop. During his talk, Jonathan coined the term defensive email design<\/strong> to explain the current state of email design.<\/p>\n He explained that email designers are stuck in an archaic state of design due to some email clients having limited CSS support. He advocated for email designers to start designing for the clients that support web rendering engines first in order to advance the email design industry.<\/p>\n In a similar fashion, at The Email Design Conference 2014<\/a>, Brian Graves<\/a>, UI designer at DEG, presented on \u201cWinning the Design Battle on Every Screen.\u201d The main focus of his talk was on progressive enhancement<\/strong>, which involves providing advanced functionality in environments where its supported.<\/p>\n He also emphasized the importance of graceful degradation. Graceful degradation means that if your subscriber\u2019s email client doesn\u2019t support a certain functionality, you\u2019ll still provide them with a pleasant experience.<\/p>\nDefensive email design<\/h3>\n
Progressive enhancement<\/h3>\n