Where are designers designing emails these days?

Gone are the days when email design meant hard-coding HTML tables in Dreamweaver. Today, designers are using collaborative, visual-first platforms to build stunning emails that convert, faster, smarter, and more consistently.

So, where are designers actually designing emails these days?

In this blog, we’ll break down the most common tools and workflows used by modern email teams and highlight why Figma has become the new standard for scalable, high-quality email creation.

Why email design has evolved

Email marketing isn’t static. It’s fast, dynamic, and increasingly collaborative. Teams need tools that allow them to:

• Create responsive, branded layouts

• Reuse components at scale

• Collaborate across departments

• Bridge the gap between design and development

• Optimize for mobile and accessibility

The tools designers use today aren’t just about making something look good. They’re about working smart, designing efficiently, and delivering consistently.

1. Figma: the new standard for email design

If you’re working on email at scale, there’s a good chance your team is using Figma.

Originally built for UI and UX design, Figma has emerged as a top choice for email teams thanks to its component-based structure, real-time collaboration features, and platform flexibility.

At Scalero, Figma is where we design all our emails from wireframes and content layouts to client-ready mockups.

Why Figma works for email

• Design systems that scale: Reusable components for modules like headers, product blocks, and CTAs help teams move fast and stay consistent

• Cross-functional collaboration: Marketers, designers, and developers can work together in real time, drop comments, and iterate efficiently

• ESP-friendly layout: Designing at 600 px width (the standard for email) helps us hand off visuals that translate cleanly into HTML

• Templates for multi-brand teams: With shared libraries, we can quickly adapt campaigns across clients or regions

And now, with Figma Buzz, the platform is investing even more in marketing-specific tooling. It’s becoming easier to create, preview, and test campaign layouts natively.

💡 Scalero tip: Use Figma’s auto layout, grids, and variables to build design systems that map directly to your ESP components.

2. Adobe suite: for asset optimization (not layouts)

While Figma owns the layout and design workflow, we still lean on Adobe tools when we need to polish or prepare assets:

• Photoshop: Retouching lifestyle or product photography

• Illustrator: Exporting icons or brand illustrations

• Lightroom: Photo editing for seasonal or campaign visuals

These tools are great for asset preparation, but we rarely use them for full email mockups. Instead, edited images are exported and placed directly into our Figma files for layout.

3. Visual drag-and-drop builders (for non-designers)

For marketers or smaller teams without a dedicated designer, drag-and-drop editors like these are still widely used:

• Stripo

• BeeFree

• Chamaileon

• TOPOL.io

• Mailmodo (great for AMP and interactivity)

These tools are especially helpful for building emails quickly without code. Most offer responsive templates, export options, and ESP integrations.

Many ESPs (like Mailchimp, Klaviyo, or Campaign Monitor) also include basic visual builders for teams that want to design and send in the same place. However, customization can be limited compared to design-forward tools like Figma.

Summary table: email design tools by use case

So… where are designers designing emails today?

In Figma.

That’s where strategy, branding, accessibility, and scalability meet.

By centralizing email design in Figma and supporting it with polished assets from Adobe and performance checks via Litmus or ESP's modern teams can move faster, collaborate better, and deliver pixel-perfect campaigns every time.

Final thoughts

Whether you’re scaling across brands or optimizing your workflow, the tools you use matter. Figma gives design teams the control and flexibility they need to create emails that look good, work well, and reflect your brand at every stage of the customer journey.

Want to see how Scalero designs emails using Figma systems and collaborative workflows? Let’s talk.