An email is a rectangle, and inside that rectangle? More rectangles, baby! You’ve got images, buttons, content rows, products sitting in little tiny grids, and footers that haven’t changed in years.
So it was inevitable that email designers would eventually discover... the circle. (Hold for ooohs and aaahs.)
We found 40 recent emails placing a big ol’ circle prominently in the hero. Does that make it a trend? I would say so. Sometimes it acts as a frame, a plate, a record, a sun, a spotlight, a portal, or a suspiciously perfect cookie. But the circle’s job is remarkably consistent because it breaks the grid, creates one unmistakable focal point, and tells the eye where to land first.
It can also soften a layout, group several ideas together, or make an ordinary product feel like the center of the known universe (especially if that circle is a planet). All while giving your otherwise rectangular email a much-needed change of geometry.
Turns out being well-rounded is useful advice for email designers, too.
