Email content and formatting

Designing for readability is key to writing good digital content, including emails. Some things to consider:

Fonts:

• Use an easy-to-read sans-serif font, such as Arial, Calibri, Helvetica or similar.
• Use a minimum font size of 12-point.
• Align text to the left instead of centered or justified. Left-aligned text is easier to read.
• DO NOT underline text to emphasize content. Underlined text is often interpreted as a link. Instead, use bold or italics.

Text Content/Structure:

• Break up text into short paragraphs, utilizing headings when necessary to group content.
• Use plain language.
• Write descriptive link text.

Colors:

• Simple black and white emails are sufficient for most email conversations, though some people prefer to send replies in a different color text. Choose a font color that will provide a good contrast, such as dark blue or dark green.
• Avoid using shaded boxes as a background. If you use shaded boxes, be sure that they provide enough contrast to the font color.

Plain text vs. HTML text

Emails can be written in plain text, rich text, or HTML. This selection is made in the Format Text tab in Outlook.

Plain text email will suffice for most small, routine correspondence. The advantages of plain text are that it can be read by any email program, is compatible with all email systems, uses the least amount of processing power and storage space, and is compatible with all assistive technologies. Limitations of plain text are that they do not apply document structure, and the links are limited to full URLs (which are not user-friendly).

HTML email is a good choice when you wish to add more formatting and structure to a message. HTML supports semantic headings, images with alternative text, links, and lists. When your emails contain any of these features, HTML is the format to use.

Which should you use?

There are valid arguments for using both plain text and HTML
when sending email. If the email is simple and does not contain images and links, plain text will work fine. However, if an HTML email is created with accessibility in mind, it can be just as good, if not a better, alternative.

Provide alt-text for images

Alt-text will appear in place of an image/object if the content is not visible, and will be read to a user who is using a screen reader. In some cases, email service providers will initially block images from loading and will instead show the alt-text unless the user downloads/displays the image.

Alt text should be accurate and descriptive, but it does not need to include the type of object that was created (image, chart, table, etc.). The screen reader will convey this automatically.

Tip: Use clear, but concise, descriptions. For example, “a red Ferrari” tells the reader more about the image than “a car” does.

HOW TO: Add alt text in Outlook

1. Right click the image or object, and then click Format.
2. Click Alt Text.
3. Type a description of the image or object into the Title and Description text boxes.
4. Click Close.

Signatures

A regular, text-based signature is recommended in Outlook. Be cautious of the use of colors and difficult-to-read texts such as a hand writing font.