University of Toledo Email System
Transforming high-volume email production through reusable templates and smarter workflows.
OVERVIEW
A scalable email system built around the realities of day-to-day communication.
A scalable email system designed to improve production efficiency while supporting consistent university communications.
As email requests continued to grow across the university, every communication—regardless of importance—required the same manual design and HTML development process. I introduced a template-based workflow that reduced production time, improved brand consistency, and created a more sustainable approach to high-volume email communications.
HIGHLIGHTS
MY ROLE
Designed the templates, built the system, and helped people use it.
I designed reusable email templates, built responsive HTML components, introduced Mailchimp into the production workflow, and developed a tiered communication model that matched production effort to the importance of the message. I also trained campus communicators through one-on-one sessions and created documentation that enabled many recurring communications to be managed independently.
THE CHALLENGE
Every email took the same amount of work.
Whether the request came from a student organization or the Office of the President, every email followed the same production process. Each one required custom design, manual HTML development in Dreamweaver, browser-hosted compliance pages, and multiple rounds of revisions. Small requests consumed the same time and attention as high-profile communications, making it difficult to scale as demand increased.
At the same time, the university was rolling out updated brand standards, creating an opportunity to improve both production efficiency and visual consistency.
DESIGN APPROACH
Build one system instead of designing every email from scratch.
Rather than treating every request as a unique design project, I introduced a tiered production model. Routine communications such as newsletters and event announcements were built using reusable Mailchimp templates that preserved the university's visual standards while dramatically reducing production effort. Higher-profile communications, including executive messaging, continued to receive custom design treatment where appropriate.
To support adoption, I worked directly with campus communicators through one-on-one training sessions and reference materials, helping many teams manage recurring communications independently without sacrificing brand consistency.
OUTCOMES
Faster production without lowering the bar.
Routine email production dropped from several days to a matter of hours, allowing the team to spend more time on high-impact communications without slowing day-to-day work. The new workflow also reinforced the university's updated brand standards by encouraging communicators to work within a shared template system rather than creating one-off email layouts.
