Good HTML coding is your friend.

Today I received this in my spam-box:

(click on thumbnail to embiggen)

The email is from - as far as I know - a design company looking for business. My question is this: how can I trust their design skills when they can't figure out how to send an HTML-based email?

Looking at the email, it appears that they forgot the < head > and < /head > tags. Yes, I know it's spam, but bad design is bad design no matter what the content. Take the time to double-check your code; make sure it's working the way it should. Then send it out to the public.

As for it being a design agency, I have my doubts. But, assuming it is, how confident would you be asking for their services? If they can't format an HTML file correctly, can they colour separate correctly? Do they know the difference between serif and sans-serif fonts, even?

I don't want to besmirch their "agency," but as a designer myself I feel it's in my best interest - and the interests of my clients - to make sure that whatever piece I'm working on is not only visually but technically competent.

Anything less makes you a piss-poor designer.