• by Ali Swerdlow , January 11, 2007

Last week we took a graphical look at how 3 key insights of email rendering have become all of the rage. However, the column assumed that readers understood how and why image rendering has become such a big issue and what options there are for help and advice on image blocking and testing and what we can expect in the future.

While the history of image rendering in emails dates all the way back to the very first text email, current date rendering lends itself to driving success by focusing on three critical issues:

1) Knowing if your messages look and function properly in the many email readers.

2) Learning if the integrity of your message is retained when images are disabled.

3) Learning how well your key selling points are posted "above the fold" or take advantage of "preview panes."

Early next week, The Email Experience Council (eec) will be releasing an in-depth look at the history of email rendering, its present challenges and a glimpse into the future. You can reserve a pre-release notification of this report by sending an email to: whitepapers@emailexperience.org.

To help ensure that marketers have access to the latest and greatest testing and validation tactics of the day, we also wanted to share a quick recap of the professionals who offer rendering services. These providers have solutions that make answering design optimization an infinitely easier process. They allow you to take control of your message design and rendering and ultimately ensure the performance of your email communications. (Most of these vendors also provide deliverability validation and testing services.)

My 2007 rendering prediction: In 2007, rendering will continue to be the rage as it is linked directly to brand impact and revenue potential. So take control of it now, before it takes control of you.