eMail creative design look books for 2009

Thomas Edison once said that genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration. Edison claimed that he always found inspiration from a real existing need. Which may explain his lesser known inventions such as the “talk to the dead machine”. Regardless of the actual impetus, I think it often comes from those around us. The web has certainly made the sharing of creativity and innovation so much easier that many of us might be lost without that virtual window on the world. After all, an idea is just a random thought till it’s shared with someone whose opinion you value.

If you have worked in the creative biz for a bit you know about idea or style books. They are the “coffee table” book of graphic departments everywhere. Graphically and creatively rich, bursting with examples of what other professionals have accomplished, they are used as grist for the creative mills of others.

Here at The eMail Guide, we’ve seen some really good eMail marketing “Look Books” as the year has winded down. We thought we’d share the inspiration here.

eMail Design Look Book 2009

Smith-Harmon caught our collective eye with their “eMail Design Look Book 2009.” Not only do they give you a glimpse of what others have done in eMail marketing creative this past year but, they also provide insight from their staff as to why each of the 20 examples in the book made the cut.

MarketingSherpa 2009 eMail Award Winners

The MarketingSherpa presentation is a bit more formal since it is an award gallery. They employ a panel of judges who have chosen 43 best of show examples from 250 entries. The judges don’t just consider creative but, also on how effective the campaigns were.

Espilon’s eMail Institute Fall 2009 eMail Gallery Look Book

Like the Smith Harmon book, Epsilon’s book can be downloaded in PDF format. Each example comes with insight from one the eMail Institute’s experts explaining why the eMail made their list for the fall. It does a nice job of combining the visuals and the insights while keeping it concise.

Got a good “look book” you’d like to share with the eMail marketing community? Post your comments and links!