The Gutenberg Diagram
Posted: Mon Feb 17, 2025 10:50 am
The Gutenberg diagram illustrates the way the reader’s eye scans the web page or email. It goes across and down the page in a series of horizontal movements called axes of orientation.
Each scan starts a little further from the left side (primary area) and moves a little closer to the right side (terminal area). The path that the eye takes is called a reading gravity.
The Gutenberg Diagram
Based on this layout, the key takeaway is that you want to place important elements along the reading gravity path.
For example, you could place a logo or headline in the top or left area, an image or some important content in the middle, and a CTA button (or the most attractive offer) in the bottom right.
An email layout loosely following the Gutenberg Diagram
Headlines
Your subscribers won’t spend too much time looking at your emails. About 38% of emails receive attention for less than eight seconds, and nearly one in seven viewers glance at the emails in their inbox for less than two seconds.
So, the sad truth is that your emails will only get a short, a few-second skim at best. That’s why an eye-catching headline is critical.
A study has found that headlines are the first text that people look at in an email which means that they give you the best chance to grab someone’s attention—and prevent them from clicking away.
Make the headline big and bold. Concise and large text entices recipients to scroll down an email for more. Plus, big headlines won’t be missed by those who dash through the messages.
An example of a big and colorful email headline
Use a different font for your headline and body. You want your headline to stand out not just in size, but also in terms of a look. You can accomplish that by using a different font for the headline and a different one for the body copy.
An example of a big and bold email headline
Links
Well-designed and written links help attract attention and can get you ios database more clicks (and taps on mobile devices). As obvious as it may sound, more viewers will click your links if you make them easy to see and understand.
But if you want to design killer email layouts for your next campaign, there’s much more to consider:
Think about your goals. You need to have a clear idea about what your recipients are supposed to do when they click your links. When they click, where do you want them to go and what do you want them to do next?
Answering these questions is crucial for deciding which links are important, and how you want to guide the subscriber toward your desired action (i.e.: reading a blog post, signing up for a webinar, sharing your email, etc.).
Don’t pack too many links in one email. Include only the essential links. Otherwise, you may confuse and distract your subscribers.
In the case of newsletters that you don’t send too often (let’s say on a biweekly or monthly basis), you might include several links to your latest blog posts or other quality content (take a look at the example below).
Each scan starts a little further from the left side (primary area) and moves a little closer to the right side (terminal area). The path that the eye takes is called a reading gravity.
The Gutenberg Diagram
Based on this layout, the key takeaway is that you want to place important elements along the reading gravity path.
For example, you could place a logo or headline in the top or left area, an image or some important content in the middle, and a CTA button (or the most attractive offer) in the bottom right.
An email layout loosely following the Gutenberg Diagram
Headlines
Your subscribers won’t spend too much time looking at your emails. About 38% of emails receive attention for less than eight seconds, and nearly one in seven viewers glance at the emails in their inbox for less than two seconds.
So, the sad truth is that your emails will only get a short, a few-second skim at best. That’s why an eye-catching headline is critical.
A study has found that headlines are the first text that people look at in an email which means that they give you the best chance to grab someone’s attention—and prevent them from clicking away.
Make the headline big and bold. Concise and large text entices recipients to scroll down an email for more. Plus, big headlines won’t be missed by those who dash through the messages.
An example of a big and colorful email headline
Use a different font for your headline and body. You want your headline to stand out not just in size, but also in terms of a look. You can accomplish that by using a different font for the headline and a different one for the body copy.
An example of a big and bold email headline
Links
Well-designed and written links help attract attention and can get you ios database more clicks (and taps on mobile devices). As obvious as it may sound, more viewers will click your links if you make them easy to see and understand.
But if you want to design killer email layouts for your next campaign, there’s much more to consider:
Think about your goals. You need to have a clear idea about what your recipients are supposed to do when they click your links. When they click, where do you want them to go and what do you want them to do next?
Answering these questions is crucial for deciding which links are important, and how you want to guide the subscriber toward your desired action (i.e.: reading a blog post, signing up for a webinar, sharing your email, etc.).
Don’t pack too many links in one email. Include only the essential links. Otherwise, you may confuse and distract your subscribers.
In the case of newsletters that you don’t send too often (let’s say on a biweekly or monthly basis), you might include several links to your latest blog posts or other quality content (take a look at the example below).