Just received a “What’s Brewing” this month type email from Tim Hortons.  In the end, it was a pretty weak email because with images turned off, almost nothing came through. If we ignore this and turn the images on, it’s a great single column email template:

What I think is worth discussing, is the placement of CTA’s (Calls to Action).

In web ,we see a lot of CTA action in the right column of websites – it’s a great way to place relevant calls high on the page without pushing the page content down. It’s so great, that I’ve seen it carried over into email as well.

Width is a major limitation for HTML email designers, and if we can stay in a single column instead of splitting ourselves across two (or more), then the user experience is definitely improved.  Tim Hortons (and I’m sure many other brands with smart designers) have tacked their CTA’s onto the bottom of their banner image. It’s not too “In Your Face”, it’s pretty and it gets the CTA’s placed prominently without needing a second column.

Way to go Tim Hortons email design team!