Take control of your email design
What do I have to do so that my emails look good even in dark mode - if I don't want to completely rework my email design? The first and easiest step, with which you can also optimize an existing email template for dark mode, is to use dark-mode optimized images, icons and logos. This involves swapping icons with a white background for transparent PNGs. This prevents the images from sitting in a white “box” on a dark background, making the email look a bit more elegant. However, you should already remember that the newly uploaded icons should not be completely black, otherwise they will no longer be visible on a black background.
However, comprehensive optimization can only be achieved if you take dark mode into account when designing an email design template and consider how design decisions affect the look of the emails in this mode. The choice of template colors needs to be carefully considered here: A black logo on a white background becomes invisible in dark mode, as described above. If you choose colors with lower contrast and place a gray logo on a beige background, for example, you will achieve a legible display even with the color-inverted version. If colored boxes are used to highlight content, their color change in dark mode should be considered right away. As far as your own CI allows, all of these aspects should be considered and the template design should be adapted if necessary.
Last but not least, by using special meta tags and media queries in CSS, it is possible to define exactly which color is replaced and how, in addition, images can even be replaced using these tags. However, so far, this only works in a few clients, such as Apple Mail. On the other hand, there is a lot of effort involved in programming.
Dark Mode: Control is better!
However well thought-out a template is: In the end, especially with regard to dark mode, every single email must be thoroughly tested again on different devices. Only then can you be sure that the presentation is really okay.
Conclusion: Dark Mode optimization involves considerable additional effort when adapting existing templates and creating new templates and emails. However, since a significant proportion of receivers are already using dark mode, at least a basic adjustment and testing should be carried out. Anyone who wants to receive specific data for their own recipients can now verify this with tools such as Litmus or Email on Acid. Our clear recommendation is to check all these aspects and then focus on optimization.
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