I spend dozens of emails a week and I've noticed something interesting - it's the signatures that get me thinking later. While most email signatures are boring text with boring formatting, a well styled email signature can really help you stand out.
When I changed my email signature to use a few subtle fancy fonts six months ago, it got people talking. My clients said they remembered me because what I put in my email signature stood out to them. My colleagues asked how I created it. Subtle styling helped my emails be seen as more professional and my brand was stronger as a result.
Email signatures are touch points. They're on every email you send and they represent you to your clients, colleagues and contacts. It's a good idea to spend time making sure your email signature is styled just right. However, there are subtleties to this and over styling looks unprofessional while under styling looks boring.
Why Professional Email Signatures Matter
Your email signature is part of your professional brand. Every email you send represents your personal brand and having a well crafted email signature helps your whole message come across better. People form opinions about you fast and visual elements like your email signature can help them form these opinions.
Additionally, your email signature helps your brand be more recognizable. If you send people emails that look the same, it helps them recognize your communication and brand quickly. It's an advantage in a busy inbox where emails blend together.
Fancy fonts used just right can help make your email signature more sophisticated while still looking professional. The secret is finding a balance.
Best Font Styles for Professional Signatures
Small Caps
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My favorite type of font for professional signatures is small caps. They look sophisticated but still retain readability across email clients and platforms, which is important for a professional appearance. I'll always use small caps for my name in my email signature, and I love how it creates that perfect balance of being distinctive enough to stand out yet professional. They work great for your name or other elements you want to be distinctive.
Elegant Script (Subtle)
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For creative professionals, elegant script works great in subtle uses. I recommend only using elegant script for your name with small caps or regular styling for everything else. The trick is using elegant script sparingly to avoid looking unprofessional. This works well for people in creative industries like design and luxury brands looking to incorporate some elegance.
Bold Sans Serif
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For emphasizing certain parts of your email signature like your job title or company name, bold fonts work well. I'll use a bold font for certain signature elements like my title or something important to me. These fonts say something about you and your profession with their bolder appearance. I recommend only using them for one or two signature elements at most.
Italic Serif
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For taglines, mottos or other short elements in your email signature, try italic serif fonts. I use italic serif fonts for short things like mottos or taglines in my email signature to give it some personality without overpowering the whole thing. These fonts subtly suggest some sophistication with their slant and are perfect for emphasizing short elements.
Double-Struck
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For modern professionals, double-struck fonts make a good choice. These cleaner looking, more modern fonts have that tech industry feel that works well for some professions. I've seen them used well by tech startup founders and consultants to give their email signature a modern flair without sacrificing professionalism.
Monospace
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For developers and technical professionals, monospace fonts have that authentic tech industry feel. I'll use a monospace font for my email signature when I'm communicating with other technical professionals. They create that feeling of a common profession while looking clean and readable.
Professional Signature Best Practices
Having spent years fine-tuning my email signature, I know a few best practices. First and foremost is less is more. Pick one or two elements to style and keep everything else simple. Styling too much looks unprofessional.
Make sure your styled email signature looks good across email clients. Some email clients have trouble with certain Unicode fonts so it's a good idea to test how your email signature looks across Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail and other email clients before using it professionally.
Readability comes first. Your professional signature needs to get information across clearly. If style sacrifices readability, it's not worth it. All things considered, it's better to err on the side of subtle styling.
Industry Specific Styling
Different industries have different norms around what's considered professional styling. Creative industries like design, marketing and fashion have more leeway with using decorative fonts than more traditional industries like finance and law. Tech industries tend to have more leeway with modern fonts like double-struck while healthcare and education prefer more conservative styling.
If you're unsure, it's always better to err on the side of subtle styling rather than overdoing it. You can always add more styling later.
What to Include in Your Signature
The basics of a professional email signature are your name, title, company, contact information and maybe a website or social media link. I'll style my name with small caps and my title with a bold font while keeping other information like contact details in regular text for maximum readability.
Some people like including taglines or mottos in their professional email signature, which is a nice touch. I'll use an italic serif font for these short statements. Others might include information about certifications or awards they've received, which I'd keep in regular text.
I avoid styling my contact information such as my phone number and email address. This information should be readable and easy to copy, so it's best to leave it in regular text. Save your fancy fonts for other signature elements that don't need to be copied.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
I've seen plenty of mistakes in email signatures over the years, so here's what to avoid. Avoid styling your entire email signature since it starts to look unprofessional. Avoid using overly decorative fonts like bubble text or sparkles because they undermine your professionalism.
Avoid using fonts that don't look good across email clients. Test your font across email clients before using it professionally. Avoid mismatching styles - if you're using small caps for your name, don't switch to gothic for your title.
Avoid using fonts that are totally inappropriate for your profession. A playful font might be great for a creative professional but not so great for a lawyer or accountant. Make sure the font you pick is appropriate for your profession and the message you want to convey.
Mobile Considerations
With more than half of all emails being read on mobile devices, it's a good idea to optimize your email signature for mobile devices as well. I keep my styled elements concise and test how my email signature looks on mobile email clients. Some fonts that look great on a computer don't look as good on a mobile device so it's a good idea to test both.
I also keep my email signature relatively short since long, styled signatures can be overwhelming on a small mobile screen. The objective is to look good and be memorable while still creating a positive mobile experience for your readers.
Final Thoughts
Your email signature is an important part of your professional brand and using a few fancy fonts can really help you stand out. However, it's important to be subtle and avoid using too many decorative fonts since it can come off as unprofessional. If you use a few subtle fancy fonts in your professional email signature, it can help your brand stand out while still looking professional.
I recommend starting with subtle styling like using small caps for your name or a bold font for your title. Test it across email clients and get feedback from your colleagues. Then, tweak it until it looks good. The goal is to be distinctive but still professional, so don't overdo it. Put your fancy fonts to good use and let your email signature reflect your professional brand with style!