Custom HTML Email Designs: Figma & Web Exports

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Figma-quality email designs created in seconds

Ever feel like the designs you make in Mailchimp or Klaviyo look… kind of terrible?

It’s not just you.

Most email builders make it hard to create beautiful, modern layouts — not because you lack taste, but because email design is still constrained by super old rendering rules. The result: lots of rectangles, limited typography, and very little of the “poster-quality” composition you can get in tools like Figma or Canva.

Why email drag-and-drop designs often look dated

Email builders like Klaviyo and Mailchimp typically generate “email-safe” layouts—think simple columns, rigid blocks, and minimal CSS. That’s great for compatibility, but it means many striking design patterns are either:

impossible,

fragile across inboxes,

or require annoying hacks.

So if you’ve ever tried to make something with curved frames, layered text, or rich visual depth…and it fell apart in preview—yep. That’s because email html sucks.

How top brands get around it

The workaround is surprisingly simple: design it like a poster in Figma/Canva, then export it as an image and drop it into the email.

That’s how you get those gorgeous “campaign creative” emails that look more like a landing page hero than a newsletter module.

Isn’t there an AI that can make these designs for me?

Yes, there is! check out https://trykopi.ai

Kopi can now create those Canva-quality email designs for your brand!

Instead of designing elsewhere, exporting, re-uploading, and stitching everything together, you can create the high-fidelity creative in Kopi, then use it in your email exactly the way top brands do—without fighting email layout limitations.

In fact, Kopi AI will do it for you, I’ll show you how.

A quick tour: “Figma-quality” designs you can now build in Kopi

Below are three design patterns that are easy in modern HTML/CSS (and in Figma) but are hard or not viable in classic email drag-and-drop layouts.

1) Liquid Glass hero card

The look: a translucent “glass” card floating over an image, with soft depth and a crisp CTA.

Why it’s hard in most email builders:

Real glass effects often rely on layered transparency and blur.

Email-safe layouts struggle with layered overlays and rich surface treatments.

Even when you can fake it, it’s fragile across clients.

Why glassmorphism is compelling:

Instantly modern.

Strong hierarchy: photo sets mood, glass card carries the message.

Perfect for launches, feature drops, seasonal campaigns.

What you can do in Kopi now:

Place a glassy content panel on top of an image.

Control spacing, radius, and typography like you would in a design tool.

Export as an email-ready creative that renders consistently.

Use it for: launch announcements, “new in” edits, premium collections.

2) Shaped background transitions

The look: Instead of a hard horizontal line between sections, the background uses a custom shape—like an arch or wave—to blend colors and guide the eye down the page.

Why it’s hard in email, easy in Kopi • On the web you can make these with SVG dividers, pseudo-elements, or clip-path, so sections can transition with curves. • In normal drag and drop editors, you’re usually stuck with rectangles, so those transitions need to be baked into images or avoided. Try this prompt:

let's do a Shaped background transition from white (top) to black (bottom) with a beautiful sculptural background element that is full width at bottom (black)

scluptural bg element as in the reference image (upload)

feature a lifestyle shot foreground with beautiful typography for our brand

3) Image background behind text + Sculptural image frame

Typical Klaviyo section:

With custom html in Kopi:

Why it’s hard in most email builders:

Non-rectangular framing typically requires masking/clipping.

Editorial compositions often rely on “shaped” negative space.

Email-safe HTML pushes you back into rectangles.

Why it’s compelling:

Premium, brand-forward, instantly recognizable.

Great for lifestyle storytelling (beauty, fashion, home, wellness).

Turns a basic product shot into a designed moment.

What you can do in Kopi now:

Build arched/pill frames, strong background fields, and clean typography composition.

Place CTA inside the framed scene (like a landing page hero).

Export as a single cohesive creative for email.

Use it for: brand stories, category intros, hero campaigns, seasonal narratives.

Practical notes (so this stays effective in real email)

Figma-quality creative works best when you treat it like campaign art and follow a few basics:

Add alt text for accessibility (and for when images are blocked).

Keep file size reasonable for fast load times.

Make the CTA unmistakable (and clickable in your email platform).

Consider a hybrid approach: image hero + live text below for longer content.

Ready to build your first Figma-quality email?

If you’ve been stuck designing inside the constraints of traditional email builders, this is the unlock: design like the web, send through email.

Try the new Kopi editor → https://trykopi.ai

Browse templates / inspiration → https://trykopi.ai/emails

Email Design is stuck in 2007