Earlier this month Brooks Brothers had a Weekend Clearance Event. The sale ran for five days and each day I received an email promoting the sale. This concept is certainly nothing new in the retail email universe. However, speaking from the design point of view, I think this campaign was well done. Here are few reasons why.

A Sense of UrgencyThe creative includes a calendar which is updated with every send. The current day is circled and the previous days are crossed off. I found this to be an effective and creative way of visually communicating urgency.

Consistent Design Theme

The same basic design is carried throughout the entire series. A simple change in the message and colors is enough to make each email different while still looking familiar. An added benefit of this is the time for the design process is significantly reduced.

The Human Touch

Each email has a different headline that’s handwritten. If you study them closely you can see they’re not created with a font. It’s likely someone actually wrote them. The circle and cross offs on the calendar also appear to be handwritten. This gives the email a nice human touch.

Email 1

Subject Line: Clear your schedule: 70% off starts today.

Email 2

Subject Line: Hello Friday…

Email 3

Subject Line: Need weekend plans? Shop and save.

Email 4

Subject Line: Last chance. Save up to 70% online.

Email 5

Subject Line: It’s (almost) history. 70% off ends today.