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mailchimp/email-blueprints

★ 7,027Audience · designerComplexity · 1/5LicenseSetup · easy

TLDR

Ready-made HTML email templates from Mailchimp covering responsive layouts, fixed-width designs, and modular blocks, use as-is or adapt for any email service.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((email-blueprints))
    Template Types
      Modular patterns
      Responsive templates
      Fixed-width templates
    Features
      Mailchimp placeholders
      Mobile-friendly layouts
      Cross-client HTML
    Use Cases
      Email campaigns
      Transactional email
      Newsletter layouts
    Audience
      Email designers
      Marketers
      Developers
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Code map

Detail Auto

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filefunction / class

Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Import a responsive email template into Mailchimp and swap in your own content for a product launch announcement.

USE CASE 2

Start a transactional email layout from the fixed-width templates instead of writing cross-client HTML from scratch.

USE CASE 3

Combine modular design blocks from the pattern templates to assemble a custom newsletter layout.

Tech stack

HTMLCSS

Getting it running

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Media query CSS must not be inlined, third-party CSS inliners will break mobile layouts.

Use and adapt freely as long as you credit Mailchimp and share any modified versions under the same Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike terms.

In plain English

Email Blueprints is a collection of ready-made HTML email templates published by Mailchimp. The purpose is to give anyone building an email campaign a solid starting point rather than writing HTML from scratch. Each template is structured to work correctly in email clients, which have notoriously inconsistent support for modern web standards. The repository is split into three folders. The first contains modular template patterns, where a single template is built from swappable design blocks that cover common layout needs. The second holds responsive templates that adapt their layout for smaller screens like phones. The third is a set of fixed-width templates that stay the same size regardless of device. The templates include special placeholder syntax that Mailchimp recognizes when you import them into an account. These placeholders let you fill in content like names, subject lines, or product details without editing the HTML directly each time. If you do not use Mailchimp, you can still use the templates by removing those placeholders and sending the HTML through any other email service. One technical note the README flags: when preparing the responsive templates for sending, do not automatically inline the CSS that lives inside media query blocks. Media query styles must stay in the email head section to function correctly on mobile devices. Mailchimp's own tools handle this correctly, but many third-party CSS inliners do not. The templates are released under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license, which means you can use and adapt them freely as long as you credit the source and share any modified versions under the same terms.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Adapt the Mailchimp email-blueprints responsive template for a product launch email with a hero image, two feature bullets, and a CTA button.
Prompt 2
I need to use a Mailchimp email-blueprints template with SendGrid instead. Show me which merge tags to remove and replace.
Prompt 3
Explain why media query CSS must not be inlined when preparing the responsive email-blueprints templates, and how to handle this correctly.
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