HTML Email Developer & Quadient Template Specialist
I make emails render in Outlook 2016.
I started building HTML emails from scratch at Computershare in 2017 and never looked back. Since then I’ve become the primary developer and maintainer of every US email template — and the person who figures out every Outlook rendering problem before it reaches production. Based in Chicago, IL.
About
I started as a temp at Computershare in 2017 while taking web development classes. My boss asked if I wanted to figure out how to build emails from scratch — and that turned into building every US email template the company has, plus all the custom ones.
When Quadient came to Computershare, I took that on too. I implement approved concept designs into the Quadient Inspire system — style definitions, layout, colors, images — and work directly with concept designers to bridge the gap between what looks good in a mockup and what will actually render. If a client’s audience is on Outlook, I’m the one who tells the designer what will and won’t work and what their options are.
I enjoy new challenges. When we needed microsites for proxy season before our Quadient system was ready, I hand-coded five of them on a tight deadline. That season broke voting records. I got a raise and a bonus. We still make them — in Quadient now — every year.
Let’s work togetherField Notes
A short, growing list of the rendering bugs I’ve been paid to fix — and what actually worked. (∞ MSO conditionals survived, and counting.)
Outlook 2016+ inserts a hairline gap between adjacent <td> elements no matter how hard you set border-collapse. Fix: mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0; on the table plus border:0;border-collapse:collapse; on every <td>. Yes, every one.
CSS background-image is silently dropped by Word-rendered Outlook. Fix: a VML <v:rect> with <v:fill src="..."> wrapped in an MSO conditional, with the real image as a fallback for everything else.
Outlook on a high-DPI Windows display will scale your bulletproof button into something cartoonish. Fix: a VML roundrect with explicit pixel dimensions, locked behind <!--[if mso]>, with a CSS button as the fallback.
Outlook ignores @font-face. Most clients don’t notice until they see their carefully chosen brand font replaced with Times New Roman. Fix: declare a defensive font stack — system fallback always lands somewhere readable — and never put the brand font in a logo as live text.
Featured Case Study
The Quadient platform wasn’t live yet. Proxy season couldn’t wait. I hand-coded five microsites — three to four pages each — covering shareholder voting, annual reports, and board introductions, all matching the client brand exactly.
It became a record voting season. I got a raise and a bonus. We still build them every year — in Quadient now — off the foundation we set that quarter.
Read the full case study →Portfolio
HTML Email
Every US email template at Computershare, built from scratch. The main challenge is always Outlook — different versions render differently, and most clients have it as their primary. Getting a design to look right across all of them takes knowing where the bodies are buried.
HTML Email
A deep dive into what Gmail and other clients are enforcing now and what’s coming. SPF, DKIM, DMARC, AI filtering — the rules keep changing and enterprise senders need to keep up. This research became a reference document for our team.
Quadient
When Quadient came to Computershare, I took ownership of the design side. I create the style definitions — fonts, colors, layout rules, image specs — that drive how financial statements, notices and documents look across print, PDF, and digital output.
Quadient
Moving design systems from InDesign into Quadient Inspire means rebuilding everything from the ground up — style by style. I built a JSX script to pull font and color data out of InDesign files so nothing gets lost in translation.
Microsite
Our Quadient system wasn’t ready yet but proxy season couldn’t wait. I hand-coded several microsites that season — 3 to 4 pages each, covering shareholder voting, annual reports, and board introductions. It was a record voting season. We build them in Quadient now, every year.
Microsite
React Native app concept for cycling group coordination — GPS routing, SAG support, packing lists, and group expense sharing for a Chicago suburban cycling group.
Consulting
Targeted consulting for agencies struggling with Outlook rendering anomalies — MSO conditionals, table-based layout fixes, and font stack troubleshooting.
What I Do
I’ve built every US email template at Computershare from scratch since 2017 — standard and custom. The hardest part is always Outlook. I know where the rendering breaks happen and how to fix them without compromising the design.
I implement approved concept designs into the Quadient Inspire CCM platform — style definitions, layout, colors, images — and serve as the technical bridge between what a designer envisions and what the platform can produce. If you need someone who can take a finalized design into a production-ready Quadient template across print, PDF, and digital output, that’s what I do.
I started building microsites by hand when we needed them before our system was ready. Now it’s a core part of what I do. If your email campaign needs a landing page, voting portal, or companion site that matches your brand exactly, I can build it.
Financial communications have their own rules — tight deadlines, regulatory requirements, and clients who know exactly what they want. I’ve been working in this space since 2017 and understand what it takes to get it right under pressure.
If your emails look broken in Outlook, your Quadient templates need a design overhaul, or you need someone to audit what’s going wrong and why — I’m available for targeted freelance engagements alongside my full-time role.
Testimonial
“I’ve worked with Melissa on and off for the past 3 years on several projects. She is an absolute fantastic teammate and does a great job communicating in a collaborative environment. I feel lucky to have her on my team!”
“Melissa and her team rebuilt our nonprofit’s website from the ground up. They were thoughtful, responsive, and delivered something genuinely better than what we had before — on time, and without making us feel like the small client.”
“An absolute fantastic teammate. I feel lucky to have her on my team.”
— Andri Koiava, Senior Design ManagerContact
If you need someone who actually knows HTML email — not just the basics, but the Outlook edge cases, the Gmail quirks, the stuff that looks right in preview and breaks in production — let’s talk.
I’m also available for Quadient template design, microsite builds, and design consulting. I take on freelance work alongside my full-time role at Computershare.
