OpenTable
Founded in 1998, OpenTable is a pioneer and market leader in online restaurant reservations. In recent years, competition from newer platforms like Resy and Tock has prompted OpenTable to evolve with upgraded features and flexible pricing. To support this evolution, the internal creative team began developing the foundation for a brand refresh. I was brought in to help bring that refresh to life by leading the complete redesign of OpenTable’s email system across both B2C and B2B communications. The new system became one of the first expressions of the refreshed brand, setting a new standard for consistency, flexibility, and visual clarity.
Team:
Senior Director, Brand Studio: Julia Borghini
Director of Brand: Erich Grois
Senior Design Manager (B2C): Elizabeth Miller
Senior Design Manager (B2B): Az Pishneshin
Brand Designer: Rita Poutivskaia
Senior Email Engineer: Kirby Lancaster
The System
Designing for email demands precision and restraint. This system brings order to varied devices and email clients through a consistent grid and accessible color usage. Typography is built with clear hierarchy and web-safe fallback fonts to ensure consistent, reliable display.
The Components
The email system is built from modular, reusable components that can be assembled quickly and consistently. Many components include boolean properties that let users show or hide elements. For example, the regular header allows you to toggle the eyebrow, subcopy, CTA, and divider. Other components include variant properties, such as primary, secondary, or text-only CTAs. These options give the team flexibility to adapt layouts while maintaining a cohesive structure.
The Emails
The galleries below show examples of the system in action across OpenTable’s B2C and B2B email programs. Each template includes a blank and fully designed version. This provides teams with a clear blueprint for structure and brand expression, making high-volume production easy and consistent.
B2C
B2B
