Email Patterns
The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association (WFAA) sought to refine its email correspondence process, aiming for efficiency and consistency to support a digital-first approach to communications. Its existing email methods were time-consuming and resulted in varied design quality, hindering effective communication.
ROLE
Lead Visual and UI Designer
TEAM
Collaborated with Digital, Marketing, Communication, and Program Teams.
DIVISION
All divisions at WFAA
DESIGN PROBLEM
WFAA’s current email workflow was ineffective and fragmented, relying on one-off designs created in Photoshop. This wasted time for designers, the digital and marketing teams, and stakeholders involved in creating or reviewing unique designs. The design quality varied significantly based on the designers’ experience and the time allocated to each project, resulting in an uneven brand presentation.
DESIGN SOLUTION
Working with our Marketing and Program teams, we determined the communication needs for events, newsletters, solicitations, and stewardship. With guidance from the Digital Team, I created a comprehensive system in Adobe XD, including UI elements, modules, and patterns for design mock-ups that could be replicated in Marketing Cloud. This significantly increased WFAA’s digital communications, ensuring a consistent, professional look across all emails. The new system streamlined the entire process, from project requests to design mock-ups to digital builds.
EMAIL MOCK-UPS
In addition to establishing a consistent look for all WFAA communications, the XD file—complete with its system of modules and patterns—serves as an efficient tool for creating email mock-ups. These mock-ups are used for program team reviews and guide the digital team in building out the emails in Marketing Cloud. Watch the screen recording to see how quickly and effectively an email can be mocked up using this system.
DESIGN SYSTEM
Below is an image of the entire XD canvas, showcasing the UI elements, modules, and patterns. This organization enables our designers to work efficiently and create email designs that consistently represent the WFAA brand across all program areas.
EVENT PATTERNS SIMPLE AND COMPLEX
The event modules can be combined to communicate simple one-day and complex multi-day events effectively.
NEWSLETTER PATTERNS
As the organization transitioned to digital-first communications, the email newsletter format supplemented or replaced print publications, increasing the frequency of communication with donors and alums.
Testimonials
Lynn brought creativity and ingenuity to everything she worked on at WFAA. Her leadership and partnership in our collaborative Digital-Creative projects have been invaluable, and she helped to set us on a great course.
Dan T., Vice President – Digital Experience & Innovation at WFAA
Lynn was a pioneer in the digital realm with her groundbreaking work on uwalumni.com, advanceuw.org, and email patterns by creating gorgeous layouts across digital platforms. Beyond her professional achievements, she has always been an encouraging voice and mentor to our design team with her creative expertise and passion for design.
Elizabeth G., Senior Design Manager at WFAA
