In email marketing, I've learned over time from years of testing what works and what doesn't. While having a flashy, well-designed email is beneficial, it isn't crucial to a successful email campaign. Often, the most impactful emails can be text-based, coming from the founder, and appearing as if they were sent from Gmail.
Quality of Audience > Quantity of Audience.
Having done this many times across many email lists, I can tell you it's healthy for the email list in the long run, but a massive hit to the ego in the short run.