Building a Modular Email Design System to Boost Speed, Consistency & Scalable Personalization

The Challenge 

As part of BLADE’s broader CRM transformation, one of the key recommendations from the Braze Playbook engagement was to modernize the company’s email system. At the time, BLADE relied on a single, static email template that required weekly manual updates—creating limitations in design flexibility, creativity, personalization, and overall performance.

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Key issues BLADE needed to improve were: 

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• Limited Flexibility: The team had a drag-and-drop (WYSIWYG) editor, which restricted custom design and personalization capabilities.
  
  
• Inconsistent Branding: Without standardized components, emails often looked different across campaigns and providers.
  
  
• Accessibility & Dark Mode Issues: The existing design didn’t meet accessibility standards or render properly in dark mode.
  
  
• Slow Builds: Manually updating content each week consumed valuable time and resources.
  
  

To elevate the customer experience and align with BLADE’s premium brand, the company needed a smarter, modular approach that balanced creativity with operational efficiency.

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Our Solution 

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VGV developed a custom Modular Design Kit (MDK): A fully HTML-based, component-driven email system designed for flexibility, scalability, and personalization.

The solution involved: 

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• Moving to a fully HTML-based design system, enabling advanced personalization.
  
  
• Achieving brand consistency across mailbox providers with full accessibility and dark mode support.
  
  
• Introducing modular, reusable components, with multiple modules that can be assembled into templates, reducing design and build time for each campaign.
  
  
• Implementing Liquid Logic to dynamically tailor content by audience, driving more relevant, high-performing emails.
  
  
• Empowering the marketing team with hands-on training, improving agility, and campaign independence.

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How We Did It

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The new MDK redefined BLADE’s email production workflow, turning a previously manual process into an agile, scalable system.

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The work process included: 

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• Audit & Alignment: We began by auditing existing campaigns to identify the most frequently used components, then mapped out new modules to support future use cases. Together with BLADE, we defined standards for typography, colors, imagery, and accessibility—including full dark mode optimization.
  
  
• System Build: Within a week of design approval, our team built all modules and templates in HTML, creating a reusable system that allowed BLADE to easily assemble branded emails using copy-paste logic.
  
  
• Strategic Deployment: We identified key lifecycle campaigns to relaunch with the new system, starting with the Welcome Series—the first customer touchpoint—and a tailored series for Passholders.
  
  
• Enablement & Training: VGV trained BLADE’s team on using the new design system through Figma and HTML sessions, and provided written documentation to ensure long-term independence.

This phased approach gave BLADE a staged roadmap, balancing tactical quick wins with strategic initiatives to deliver both immediate impact and sustainable growth.

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The Result 

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The MDK laid the foundation for a scalable CRM infrastructure. With reusable modules, BLADE can now adapt quickly to new campaign needs, personalize at scale, and maintain the premium brand standards their audience expects.

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