The rise of smart phones really knocked the email newsletter on its ear. We had all gotten used to having elaborate graphics, which arose from a real desire for beauty, at least on my part. But now the graphics in an email need to be completely justified. In a way, it has made my life easier. I'll miss gorgeous multi-column layouts like you see at Dexigner.com. However, the rise of the simple solution is a good thing. Fewer words, fewer pictures… make them count.

Campaign Monitor: Should email be 99.9% typography, too? 2013-Feb-13, by Ros Hodgekiss

…while multi-column layouts can break and images fail to load, there's one design element that never fails get the message across – type.

Now, we're not talking about devolving into sending plain-text email here – although as far as consistency goes, nothing can beat it. What we have in mind is a greater emphasis on creating reliable, responsive experiences by taking a type-first approach to email design.

This thinking can be attributed to a similar trend that's happening on the web, where designers are foregoing fancy layouts for simpler, more device-independent designs. As James Young observes in his post, "The responsive web will be 99.9% typography"