Using HTML in emails without images

The solution to the HTML/TEXT email quandary that I have been blogging about of late is to use HTML email– since nearly every email client supports it nowadays– but not to rely heavily upon images, if you use any at all.  Instead, use HTML tags to create color borders, blocks of text, enlarged fonts, and colored fonts.  <ul> and <ol> tags are beneficial, especially since people like lists and it enforces some semblance of order to the email, and the bullet points especially have a graphical quality about them without being dependent upon image downloading.

If you must use images, use them sparingly and never use them to communicate content or the call to action.  It’s best if they are aligned along the right edge of the email and that width and height specifications are omitted; that way, if they don’t load, the empty image box is as unobtrusive as possible.