Email builder
The email builder is Fanz’s visual designer. You use it for the body of email campaigns and for the transactional templates that still live in event communications (purchase, reminder, feedback, cancellation). Abandoned cart is authored by Events → [event] → Marketing AI, not as an editable Communications template. You build the email with blocks and sections — no HTML required.
Opening the builder
The builder is not a menu tab. It opens when you create or edit a design.
| From | How |
|---|---|
| Marketing → Email campaigns | When creating a campaign, choose Create Custom Email or Use Previous Design |
| Events → [your event] → Communications | When creating a manual email or an automatic template, create a new design or pick a saved one |
If the canvas is empty, a template picker opens (same pattern as the ticket designer):
- Choose a blank canvas or a theme family (Theater, Nightlife, Park, Conference, Cinema, Sports Club, Cultural Center, Vervee, Electronic, Underground).
- Each family has variants (featured events, programme, last tickets, VIP, next date, and more).
- For a transactional email that still lives in Communications, you only see presets for that type (purchase, reminder, review request, or cancellation). Abandoned-cart copy is written by Marketing AI, not as a Communications template.
- If your site already has a theme installed, that family is recommended and picks up the site colors.
You can search by name and preview the email before confirming.
The builder keeps unsaved work for the session: if you close and reopen it in the same session, your changes are still there.
Interface overview
The first time, a guided tour is offered. Replay it from the help button in the top bar. Keyboard shortcuts open with ?.
| Area | Role |
|---|---|
| Top bar | Close, title, tour, unsaved-changes status, preview, and Save |
| Center | Email canvas. What you see here is what lands in the inbox |
| Floating bottom bar | Sections library, blocks to add (click or drag), and Undo / Redo |
| Right panel | Elements and Design tabs. Selecting a block opens its settings |
Adding content
Blocks
In the floating bar, click a block to add it, or drag it onto the canvas:
- Drop on the top edge to place it above
- On the bottom edge to place it below
- In the center to replace the block
You can also hover a block and use + to insert above or below.
| Block | Use |
|---|---|
| Text | Headings and paragraphs. Double-click to edit on the canvas |
| Image | Photo, banner, or brand logo |
| Button | Call to action |
| Spacer | Vertical space |
| Divider | Horizontal line |
| Social | Icons with links |
| Events | Cards for real events on your brand |
| Columns | A row of 1 to 4 columns (they stack on mobile) |
On discount emails (and leftover abandoned-cart designs), a special button can appear (one per email). The link is filled in when the email is sent. New abandoned-cart emails are generated by Marketing AI.
The memberships block is not in the toolbar: insert it from the sections library.
Section library
Sections opens ready-made layouts (headers, highlights, CTAs). Click or drag one onto the canvas. Search or filter by type:
- Header / hero
- Content
- Features
- Social proof
- Commerce (events, memberships, offers)
- Call to action
- Feedback
Sections inherit the email’s colors and fonts. Some have a locked structure (you can’t rewrite the column count or image layout) so the design stays intact; text, photos, and colors remain editable.
Working with blocks
Select and edit
- Click — Selects the block and opens its settings in Elements
- Double-click a text block — Edits copy on the canvas
- In Elements you can also reorder the list (drag), duplicate, or delete
Canvas controls
With a block selected:
| Control | Description |
|---|---|
| Move up / down | Changes order (also ↑ / ↓) |
| Duplicate | Copies the block (⌘/Ctrl + D) |
| Delete | Removes it (⌫ or Delete) |
Esc leaves text editing or clears the selection.
Block types
Text
Write or paste formatted text (Large / Medium / Small sizes, bold, links).
Personalization: insert dynamic fields from the panel or with @ in the editor. They are replaced with each recipient’s data on send. In the builder they show a sample name.
Available fields depend on the email type:
| Field | Campaigns | Event email | Purchase / reminder | Abandoned cart | Feedback | Cancellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attendee first and last name | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Event name | Yes | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ticket name | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | — |
| Google Maps link | — | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| Referral link | — | — | Purchase only | — | — | — |
| Event link | — | — | — | Yes | — | — |
| Event date | Yes | — | — | — | — | Yes (show date) |
| Review link | — | — | — | — | Required | — |
You can also set background (solid or gradient), border, shadow, radius, padding, minimum height, and alignment.
Image
Source: upload a file or use the brand logo.
Layout: single image or gallery. Ready-made sections may include grids or bentos with a locked structure.
Options: alt text, width and height (leave height on Auto), link, alignment, border, and shadow. On a single image you can enable overlay text (title, subtitle, position, and a scrim for contrast).
On a leftover abandoned-cart design, the image can link to the abandoned checkout.
Size and file:
| Use case | Upload width | Display width | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hero banner | 1200 px (retina) | 600 px | 2:1 or 3:1 |
| Standard banner | 600 px | 600 px | 2:1 or 3:1 |
| Logo / smaller image | 400–600 px | 200–400 px | Any |
- Width in the editor: Auto, 200, 300, 400, 500, or 600 px
- Height: Auto (recommended) or 100–400 px
- File size: under 1 MB (limit: 5 MB)
- Formats: JPG, PNG, or GIF
- Maximum dimensions: 9000×9000 px
If you increase content width in Design (up to 640 px), upload the banner at that width or 2× for retina. Height on Auto keeps mobile from stretching the image.
Button
Label (max 40 characters), colors, border, radius, width (including full width), height, and alignment.
Link: a URL, or event + date + discount. In the second case the builder builds a checkout link with the code applied.
Discount buttons (and leftover abandoned-cart designs) don’t ask for a URL: the system fills it on send.
Spacer and divider
Spacer is height only (10–500 px). Divider has thickness, width %, color, and alignment.
Social
Add as many links as you need. Icons are detected from the URL (Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, Discord, Telegram, WhatsApp, website).
Styles: brand, illustration, outlined, dark, or text. Also icon size, spacing, alignment, and background.
Events
Cards for real events on your brand.
- Manual: search and order events (and the date, if there are several)
- Automatic: a rule (upcoming, best selling, ending soon, with an offer, with a discount) and how many to show (up to 10). You can filter by category
Card style: editorial, classic, compact, or minimal. Show or hide date, price, and badges, and edit the button label.
Optional: a discount code per event on that card’s CTA.
If the brand has no events, the builder shows examples on the canvas only. On send, the saved list is used — it is not fetched again at send time. If the lineup changed, reopen the block and refresh the selection.
Memberships
Added from Sections. Shows the brand’s public plans. Choose which plans appear, whether price and benefits are shown, and the button label. Plan data is also frozen when you save.
Columns (section)
A row of 1 to 4 columns. A single column works as a “card” (shared background, border, and shadow). Columns stack on mobile.
Options: column count, ratios (50/50, 60/40, and so on), gap, vertical alignment, divider between columns, background (color, gradient, or image with overlay), border, shadow, padding, and minimum height.
Each column stacks the same blocks as the canvas, without nesting another column row (except ready-made sections that already include that layout).
Design tab
Changes apply immediately on the canvas. There is no separate settings gear.
Canvas
| Setting | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Canvas background color | Email body background | #ffffff |
| Outer background color | The area around the email in the inbox | #ffffff |
Colors
Global colors for large, medium, small, and body text, plus buttons. Only slots the email actually uses are shown. Changing them updates blocks that inherit that color.
Fonts
Three families: heading, subheading, and body / extra. You can use web-safe fonts (Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet, Verdana, Tahoma, Georgia, Times New Roman, Courier New) or Google Fonts.
Google Fonts load in Apple Mail, Gmail web, and most mobile clients. Desktop Outlook falls back to Arial.
Layout
| Setting | Range | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Content width | 320–640 px | 600 px |
| Side spacing | 0–64 px | 18 px |
| Top and bottom spacing | 0–64 px | 20 px |
| Space between blocks | 0–120 px | 20 px |
600 px is still the standard so the email displays correctly in most clients.
Legal footer
Every email includes a platform footer (privacy policy; on campaigns, unsubscribe as well). It can’t be removed. Click the footer on the canvas or open Design → Legal footer.
You can set the background (canvas, outer, or a custom color), show or hide social icons, icon style, and link/text colors.
Privacy and unsubscribe links are added when the email is sent. A social block on the canvas is separate from this footer.
Preview
Preview (or ⌘/Ctrl + P) shows how the email will look:
- Toggle desktop and mobile
- Check stacked columns, images, and the legal footer
- Close to keep editing
Keyboard shortcuts
Open the full list with ?. Shortcuts adapt to Mac (⌘) or Windows/Linux (Ctrl).
Editing
| Action | Mac | Windows/Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Undo | ⌘ + Z | Ctrl + Z |
| Redo | ⌘ + ⇧ + Z | Ctrl + Y |
| Duplicate block | ⌘ + D | Ctrl + D |
| Delete block | ⌫ | Delete |
| Save | ⌘ + S | Ctrl + S |
| Preview | ⌘ + P | Ctrl + P |
Blocks and navigation
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Move up / down | ↑ / ↓ (with a block selected) |
| Leave editing / deselect | Esc |
| Select block | Click |
| Edit text | Double-click a text block |
| Insert link | ⌘/Ctrl + K (while editing text) |
| Open shortcuts | ? |
Saving and exiting
Save stores the design and you can keep editing (⌘/Ctrl + S).
Close (×) leaves the builder.
If you have unsaved changes:
- Continue editing
- Discard changes
- Save and leave
Yes. When creating a campaign, click Use Previous Design and pick any previously saved design.
When you pick a family, the builder takes the installed theme colors at that moment. After that the design is yours: changing the site does not rewrite saved emails.
No. The list is frozen when you save. If the lineup changed, reopen the block and refresh the selection.
JPG, PNG, and GIF. Ideal: under 1 MB. Limit: 5 MB and 9000×9000 px.
600 px wide (the default content width). For retina, upload 1200 px. Typical ratios: 2:1 or 3:1. Height on Auto.
They are placeholders such as [Attendee Name]. On send they are replaced with each recipient’s data. Test emails often show them empty or with the builder’s sample name.
No. The builder uses blocks so the email renders consistently in Gmail, Apple Mail, and Outlook. Use the available blocks and ready-made sections.
No. It’s the platform footer (privacy and, on campaigns, unsubscribe). You can change background, colors, and whether social icons show.
If you reopen the builder in the same session, unsaved changes are kept. If you leave the composer entirely, you’ll be asked to save, discard, or continue editing.
Desktop Outlook doesn’t load those fonts reliably and falls back to Arial. Pick a similar web-safe font so the fallback stays close.
Related articles
- Email campaigns — Create and send campaigns
- Event communications — Attendee emails and automatic templates
- Marketing overview — The marketing hub