STOP Making These Email Design MISTAKES

At ASPEKT, we audit hundreds of emails every month. Many look polished on the surface, but once you dig in, the design is quietly destroying revenue. These are five real emails pulled from our burner inbox and the exact fixes that immediately boost conversions.

1. Pure Himalayan Shilajit

This brand ran a Labor Day sale with a strong offer, but the design held it back.

What went wrong:

• The coupon code looked clickable but was not an actual button

• Weak call to action

• Heavy lifestyle imagery with minimal product focus

• The unsubscribe link was black text on a black background which creates compliance and accessibility issues

How to fix it:

• Move the discount offer to the very top

• Replace the faux button with a real call to action that says “Claim My Discount”

• Add product imagery to support the offer

• Make the unsubscribe link readable to avoid deliverability problems

These adjustments make the email more usable and conversion focused.

2. The Paper Club

The email was beautifully designed, but the hierarchy weakened the strategy.

What went wrong:

• Two logos stacked on top wasted prime space

• The main offer was buried below the fold

• The call to action used the word “Go,” which carried no emotional weight

• An overloaded footer increased link count and pushed the email into the promotions tab

How to fix it:

• Remove unnecessary visuals at the top

• Bring the headline, subheadline, and passcode section into the above the fold

• Replace “Go” with a stronger action like “Unlock Early Access”

• Keep the footer lean to maintain inbox placement

A beautiful email still needs proper structure to convert.

3. Bimago

Bimago sells wallpaper and home decor. Their email looked clean but suffered from core structural issues.

What went wrong:

• The button was placed all the way at the bottom

• The discount code was hidden in the footer

• Long blocks of text made the content difficult to skim

• The headline consumed too much space before any actionable content appeared

How to fix it:

• Place the offer and button at the top where attention is highest

• Shorten the headline so it pairs well with the hero image

• Break paragraphs into bullet points built around benefits

• Add a visible call to action in the hero section

Your most valuable information should never be placed at the bottom of an email.

4. Springland

Springland sells dog accessories. The visuals were adorable, but the design prevented people from taking action.

What went wrong:

• Hero images were oversized and required too much scrolling

• Too many lifestyle images and not enough product context

• Buyers had no quick understanding of benefits or features

• The business address was missing, which breaks compliance rules

How to fix it:

• Reduce hero image height to bring the call to action above the fold

• Add small benefit summaries under each product

• Include the address in the footer to stay compliant

• Increase contrast on brand badges so they stand out

Strong visuals are helpful, but they need functional structure to convert.

5. Liam and Co.

This fashion brand sent an email that looked creative, but the layout caused friction.

What went wrong:

• Excessive white space in the hero section

• No visible call to action near the top

• Product descriptions were missing

• Too many items were packed into a single send

• The discount announcement sat near the bottom where very few readers reach

How to fix it:

• Bring the offer and button into the hero section

• Reduce empty space so the first image is immediately visible

• Add descriptions that help shoppers understand what they are clicking into

• Limit the number of featured items to a curated set

• Style the call to action to match the brand identity

Emails that look artistic can still underperform if they fail to guide people toward a next step.

Final Thoughts

Good design is not about looking pretty. It is about clarity, usability, and conversion. The five emails above all suffered from the same core issues. Weak above the fold structure. Hidden offers. Long scroll depth. Misaligned hierarchy. Missing or weak calls to action.

These improvements often increase clickthrough rates immediately and unlock meaningful revenue that was already sitting inside the list.

If you want ASPEKT to review your email setup and show you exactly where your designs are costing you sales, you can grab a free Klaviyo audit and we will walk you through all the missed revenue opportunities.