ActiveManage separates the design of an email (the visual wrapper: logo, header band, footer, fonts, colours) from the template (the specific message: subject, body content, recipient logic). Knowing the difference saves hours when you decide to rebrand.
Designs
A design is reusable HTML/CSS that defines the look of every email. Typical design elements:
- Logo block at the top
- Colour palette (header band, link colour, button colour)
- Font choice and base size
- Footer with company address, unsubscribe link and social media icons
- Responsive media queries for mobile
You can have multiple designs for different purposes — e.g. “Transactional” (minimal, clean) and “Marketing” (full-width hero images).
Templates
A template embeds content inside a design. It defines the subject line, the body content (with merge tokens like {{user.firstName}}), and the recipient logic.
How They Combine
When the platform renders an email, it loads the template, substitutes tokens, then wraps the body inside the chosen design. The template can override the default design if needed.
Worked Example
A SaaS rebrand: the company changes from blue to green. By updating only the Default design's primary colour, every transactional email (Welcome, Password Reset, Invoice, Booking Confirmation, ~30 templates) updates simultaneously. Without the design/template separation that would be 30 individual edits.
Other Examples
- Multi-brand tenant: Brand A uses Design A; Brand B uses Design B; templates are shared but each tenant gets the right wrapper automatically.
- Seasonal campaigns: A festive-themed marketing design used in December, switched back to standard in January.
- Plain-text design: A minimal “no wrapper” design used by templates that should look like a personal email rather than a corporate broadcast.