Is Email Really Dead?
We've all heard it before: "Email is dead."
Yet somehow, our inboxes remain as active as ever. It has survived the changes across marketing like a super hero coming back to defeat the evil.
Indestructible.
This is the foundation for the Design Museums’ latest exhibition "Email is Dead”, created by Inuit Mailchimp. It is a celebration of email as a cultural phenomenon that has shaped our work lives, relationships, and even our economies for decades.
And a reminder that email continues to be a big part of our lives.
A Multi-Sensory Email Experience
Opening September 28th through October 22nd, this free interactive exhibition created by Intuit Mailchimp's in-house creative agency, Wink, and designed with creative studio Something Special Studios, offers something truly unique: the opportunity to experience email with all your senses.
Yes, you read that right. This exhibition lets you not just see email, but hear it, smell it, and feel it.
Intuit Mailchimp’s CMO Michelle Taite, says “Now feels like the optimal time to tell this story because there’s been chatter about the death of email for over a decade. And every time there’s a new ‘thing’ like SMS or social media experts speculate on its extinction. And now with the rapid expansion of AI, we found the chatter about the death of email to be even more relevant”.
Sound
Have you ever thought about what email sounds like? The exhibition features a bespoke soundtrack composed of synthesized sounds depicting email's daily journey, from the typing of keys to the swoosh of sending, the pop of arrival, and the satisfying ding of notification. Sometimes playful, sometimes urgent, these sounds capture the rhythm of our digital communications.
Scent
Perhaps most intriguingly, the exhibition space is infused with an "Eau du Email" scent developed to evoke clarity. This fragrance is carefully crafted from aromatic plants like bergamot, geranium, sage, lavender, and sandalwood, known for promoting a balanced nervous system.
Much like how the right email can shift your mood or mindset, this scent aims to recreate the lucidity and connection that meaningful email exchanges generate (but that we often lose in the noise of overcrowded inboxes).
Sight
Visually, the exhibition eschews typical "internet" aesthetics in favor of a design language focused specifically on email. Bright yellow pixel patterns, email iconography rendered with a 3D sculptural approach, and a typeface inspired by the very first email sent in 1971 create an immersive environment that celebrates email's unique visual identity.
Email through time
The exhibition takes visitors on a journey from email's embryonic beginnings in the 1970s all the way to speculative visions of what email might look like in 2070.
As Intuit Mailchimp's CMO Michelle Taite explains: "With the rapid expansion of AI, we found the chatter about the death of email to be even more relevant. In fact, with the help of AI, our inboxes are becoming increasingly personalised, helping marketers create meaningful, long-standing connections. In essence, email is becoming smarter than it's ever been."
Interactive elements that hit close to home
For many of us, email comes with its frustrations and anxieties. The exhibition doesn't shy away from these realities, instead offering playful "solutions" to common email woes:
An "Inbox Elixir" (recipe included) for those drowning in unanswered messages
An "Email Therapy Machine" for when you've drafted something you probably shouldn't send
A photo booth that "transports" visitors to absurd locations and prints out wish-you-were-here postcards, highlighting email's ubiquitous presence in our lives
An email personality test to discover what kind of emailer you really are
The opportunity to bury your own "email time capsule"
What does email and cats have in common?
Emails appear to have 9 lives. Despite predictions of its demise, it continues to evolve and adapt, remaining central to how we communicate professionally and personally.
This exhibition invites us to step back and consider how profoundly this simple communication tool has shaped our modern existence, and how it might continue to evolve in an age of artificial intelligence and increasingly personalised digital experiences.
So before you declare email obsolete, consider visiting "Email is Dead" at the Design Museum. You might just develop a new appreciation for that inbox you check first thing every morning.
Visit the Design Museum: https://designmuseum.org/