LONDON, August 2, 2023 - Every year, people debate the death of email and question its relevance as new forms of communication are developed. And yet, more than 50 years after its inception, email is used by over four billion people* and remains the primary communication tool for the world’s businesses. In fact, 87% of marketing leaders say email is critical to their success*. As its design and function have evolved, email has outlived cultural movements, technological hardware, and countless trends proving not only its cultural relevance but also its functionality that continues to stand the test of time. With the acceleration of new technologies like artificial intelligence and new methods of connecting online, how will email shape our future? Intuit Mailchimp is ready to explore that possibility.
The Design Museum is pleased to announce the exhibition, Email is Dead. This free, interactive exhibition, opening September 28, is presented by Intuit Mailchimp and examines how email’s impact goes far beyond simply being a communication tool and considers how it helps shape our work lives, relationships, cultures and economies. Email is Dead is an immersive experience designed to prompt wider conversations about the future of communication.
Email is Dead will lead visitors through an engaging journey of the history of email from its embryonic beginnings in the 1970s to what the email experience might look like in 2070.
"Email is one of the most prevalent communication tools in the world, and everyone's connection to the medium is personal," comments Michelle Taite, Intuit Mailchimp's CMO. "With this exhibition, we'll present a life-sized reminder of how distinctive, powerful, and indispensable email is to life as we know it and explore words, design, and experiences that matter in this platform, ultimately answering a question we are often asked: Is email dead? Not even close."
“I could never have imagined when I sent my first email that a few years later it would proceed to infuse my entire working day - from invitations and newsletters to sharing vital information with colleagues and collaborators. And that our ability to influence, inform and persuade on this platform would be absolutely critical to making things happen,” said Josephine Chanter, Director of Audiences at the Design Museum. “I am delighted that we are hosting this exhibition that will deepen our understanding of how email punctuates our lives and provide an opportunity to think about where the future of email might go.”
Colourful, inflatable and interactive displays will invite visitors to explore email’s impact by burying their own ‘email time capsule’ and be prompted to take an email personality test to discover what kind of emailer they really are. Imaginary and playful solutions for troublesome real-life situations, such as the dreaded piles of unanswered emails or the temptation to fire off an email that really shouldn’t be sent, are offered in the form of an Inbox Elixir (recipe included) and an Email Therapy Machine. The ever-present nature of email will be brought home through a photo booth that ‘transports’ the subject to absurd locations and prints out a wish-you-were-here postcard.
The many ways email has impacted and reflected our cultural landscape in art, film, television, and ultimately deepened our understanding and connection with the brands we connect with is also explored. Many of the 20th century’s most ground-breaking artists and designers have been using email to express and facilitate their visions.
- Source: Statistica
- Source: The 2023 State of Email Workflows Report, Litmus