Stop Relying on Upwork for Specialist Email Designers
Finding designers who genuinely understand email layout is surprisingly difficult. Most generic graphic designers will send you print-ready layouts or complex web graphics that fall apart the moment they touch an inbox.
I do not use Upwork to find email designers. In my books, public job boards usually yield too many unqualified candidates and slow down the entire hiring pipeline. Instead, I rely on social channels like LinkedIn, Twitter, and my own newsletter to source talent directly.
When posting a role on social media, keep the copy simple and clear. One crucial technical detail: never put the application link inside the post itself. Social platforms deliberately reduce the reach of posts containing outbound links. Post the callout, then drop the application form link directly into the first comment. When we ran this recently, a single post pulled over 4,000 views and brought in 38 solid applicants within 24 hours.
The Form: Use Hard Disqualifiers Early
Your application form should do 80% of the filtering work before you look at a single portfolio. If you do not ask strict qualifying questions upfront, you will waste hours reviewing unqualified candidates.
Here is what I ask every applicant on our initial Google Form:
- Figma proficiency: Have you worked with Figma before? If they say no, they are disqualified immediately.
- Technical email specs: What dimensions should email templates have in width for desktop, and what width for mobile?
- Timezone and availability: Can you work 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM in our required timezone (for example, CST or EST)? Are you available for full-time work?
- Hourly rate and portfolio link: Clear expectations on pricing, plus a direct link to their past email work.
You would be amazed at how many applicants fail basic technical questions. Desktop templates should be 600 pixels wide, and mobile designs are typically built at 375 pixels. If an applicant writes 1920x1080 or 640px, they do not understand modern email rendering. Disqualify them immediately.
Reviewing Portfolios in a Clean Spreadsheet
Once the responses come in, export the entire dataset to a spreadsheet. Do not review applicants one by one in your form builder. A spreadsheet allows you to filter out unqualified rows in seconds.
First, filter out anyone who gave incorrect technical dimensions, said no to Figma, or cannot work your required hours. That usually cuts down roughly 50% of the applicant pool instantly.
Next, look at the portfolio links for the remaining candidates. Look for clean typography, smart use of whitespace, and strong hierarchy. You can generally tell within 30 seconds whether someone understands email flow. Mark the strong ones with a simple status column and move them straight to the practical test.
Run a Short, Paid Test Project
Never hire an email designer based on a static portfolio alone. Portfolios show their best work, but they do not show you how fast they work, how they interpret a creative brief, or how they structure their Figma files.
I send qualified applicants a brief for a dummy test. Never use an active client for a candidate test. If a client discovers you are testing unvetted designers on their account, it causes unnecessary friction. Pick an established brand like AG1 or another recognisable ecommerce store.
Ask them to design two layouts based on supplied copy: one desktop version and one mobile version at 375px width. Ensure the brief includes standard ecommerce modules such as a hero banner, body copy, product category blocks, customer review highlights, and social links.
Always pay your candidates for this test. It is the ethical way to do business, and it sets a professional standard from day one. I tell candidates that the test is paid, but I cap expectations at 1 to 1.5 hours maximum. An experienced email designer should easily produce a clean concept within that timeframe.
Reviewing the Output and Making the Offer
When reviewing the finished test files, I evaluate three specific things: speed, technical precision, and communication. If we test 8 or 9 candidates simultaneously, it costs a couple of hundred dollars total. That is a tiny price to pay for certainty.
Check their Figma file organisation. Are elements cleanly grouped, or is the file a messy collection of unlinked layers? Did they build mobile layouts with large, tappable buttons and legible 16px body copy? Did they submit the work within the agreed deadline?
Once you find the designer who ticks every box, start them on a part-time trial period with clear standard operating procedures. Once they prove consistency across real campaign builds, transition them to a permanent full-time retainer.
Final Thoughts
Hiring high-performing email designers comes down to strict upfront filtering and practical paid tests. Eliminate candidates who lack foundational technical knowledge before you ever open their portfolio. When you test live execution on a standardised brief, picking the right designer becomes obvious.
If you would rather have a dedicated team handle your ecommerce email design and strategy without running the hiring process yourself, take a look at our Email Campaigns service.
