Last year, we wanted to redesign our marketing emails. The quotes ranged from ₹5,000–15,000 per email. Finding designers who could work within email’s design constraints was another challenge, so we ended up doing it ourselves in Figma, using the Emailify plugin.
This year, we tried Codex. We shared our brand book, the existing email and a few layout references from Really Good Emails, then asked for complete responsive HTML.
After a few iterations, we had a design we were happy with. Codex handled both the layout and the HTML, with the brief and review still on me.
| Measure | Rating (out of 5) |
|---|---|
| Time saved | ⏰⏰⏰⏰⏰ |
| Money saved | 💲💲💲💲💲 |
The workflow
I review the output in an email preview panel, with desktop and phone views, before moving it into Customer.io.
Along with the HTML, I include instructions to preserve the brand’s theme, personalisation, prices, tracking links and unsubscribe content.
From there, it’s a back-and-forth. I can ask it to reduce the gap above a button, remove a repeated benefit or fix a card that scrolls sideways on mobile. It returns the complete updated email, which I bring back into the panel.
An example
Here’s a welcome email created through this workflow. The preview matches your screen; use the buttons to see either layout.
Before sending
We used Customer.io MCP and Codex’s computer use to implement personalisation and test the emails. Liquid tags insert the recipient’s first name when it’s available, or use a default greeting when that data is missing. Conditions let us show different content to different recipients.
The editor flags changes to those tags, links, prices and unsubscribe content before I save. I check that the redesign hasn’t changed how the email works.
I still review the copy and links, check the phone preview and test the email in an inbox.
The result
We’re happy with the results so far, both the designs and the CTR and conversion rates. The final cost, based on token usage, was under ₹100.
To try this for your startup, pick a few references from Really Good Emails and share your brand book, copy and CTA with Codex. Ask for complete responsive email HTML, preserve your personalisation and tracking, then work through the changes in desktop and mobile previews before sending a test.