Email Signature: Best Practices, Examples, and Design Tips

Your email signature is the most overlooked piece of marketing real estate you own.

It appears in every conversation: sales follow-ups, partnership introductions, customer replies, and internal threads. And because it’s repeated so often, your email signature quietly shapes how people perceive your brand.

A strong one does two things well: it looks professional and makes it easy for someone to take the next step, whether that’s contacting you, visiting your site, or booking time.

For marketing and sales teams, email signatures do more than “look nice.” They reinforce brand consistency and can support campaigns through subtle CTAs, such as content links or demo bookings.

That’s also why many teams use email signature software to standardize layouts, manage updates, and keep signatures consistent across employees, roles, and regions.

This guide breaks down what to include in a good email signature, design best practices, and how to make signatures work across devices and email clients.

How do I create an email signature?

Creating a professional email signature is easier than most people think. You can build one manually, use a generator, or roll out standardized signatures across your organization using email signature software.

• Create a simple email signature: If you only need a basic signature, start with a clean text layout: name, title, company, and one main contact method. Keep it short and easy to read on mobile.
• Use an email signature generator: Signature generators help you format HTML signatures quickly and avoid layout issues in email clients like Gmail or Outlook. This is a good choice if you want a logo, social icons, or a banner CTA without writing HTML from scratch.
• Use email signature software (best for teams): If you want consistent branding across employees, email signature software helps you standardize templates, manage updates centrally, and apply different signatures by department, region, or role. This is particularly useful when you run campaigns using banner CTAs. Review the leading email signature solutions on G2, rated by actual user feedback.

If you’re using images (logos or banners), keep essential details as live text so your signature still works when images are blocked.

How to perfect email signature: Checklist

Crafting a professional email signature is about more than aesthetics; it’s about credibility, brand consistency, and functionality.

A well-structured signature acts like a digital business card, reinforcing your company identity and making it easy for recipients to connect with you.

• Start with the basics: Include your full name, job title, company, and main contact information. It is generally advised to use a professional email address tied to your domain. 
• Add secondary contact options: You can also add secondary contact options like phone number, banner, address, website, and professional social links like LinkedIn or Twitter. Avoid overcrowding or overfitting the visual block with too many links.
• Keep formatting consistent: When designing your email signature, stick to simple fonts, imagery, light colours, and logos. Consistency in formatting not only increases readability but also projects a polished, cohesive look across all communications. 
• Include your company logo and headshot: A small, optimized logo or headshot can personalize your email signature while reinforcing brand recognition. Keep image sizes minimal and compressed to ensure they load quickly across devices.
• Use dividers for spacing and clarity: Strategic use of dividers or white space helps separate different elements of your signature. This prevents information overload and ensures each detail, from your name to your call to action (CTA), has room to stand out.
•  Add a call to action wisely: A short, relevant CTA, such as “Book a demo” or “Visit our blog,” can turn your email signature into a subtle marketing tool. The key is to keep it unobtrusive, so it supports the message rather than overshadows it.
• Check accessibility: Add alt text to any images and ensure sufficient color contrast between text and background. These accessibility measures make your signature more inclusive and ensure it looks professional even in low-visibility settings.
• Test across devices and clients: Always preview your signature in popular email clients, such as Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail, as well as on mobile devices. This step ensures your design remains intact and legible regardless of where it’s opened.

By following this step-by-step checklist, you’ll transform your signature into a high-performing design element that communicates professionalism and brand trust with every email.

What are the design guidelines for email signatures and banners?

Once you know the basic elements of an HTML email signature, the next step is elevating your design with branding and structure.

A strong email signature or banner isn’t just decoration; it’s a direct extension of your brand identity. Below are the key dos and don'ts to keep in mind when building professional, engaging signatures and banners.

• Keep design consistent with your brand: Use your brand fonts, core colors, and tone of voice so your email signatures and banners feel like a natural extension of your website and marketing materials. Think of it this way: if your signature design looks at home on your homepage, you’re doing it right.
• Prioritize clarity over clutter: Less is more. Limit the number of links, CTAs, and design elements so your signature feels intentional, not overwhelming. A streamlined layout leaves a stronger impression and avoids confusing your audience.
• Tailor signatures and banners to your audience: Align elements with the recipient’s expectations. For example, sales teams might use a signature banner with a product demo CTA, while marketing teams might highlight content downloads. Customize based on role, geography, or campaign needs.
• Make the primary action obvious: Decide what you want the recipient to do, visit your website, book a demo, or connect on LinkedIn, and structure your design around that. Highlight only the channels that matter, and remove unused or low-value details.
• Optimize for mobile and email clients: Since many recipients read emails on smartphones, make sure your design is mobile-friendly. Use scalable elements, test contrast for visibility, and ensure banners don’t push key content below the fold. Always preview across popular clients like Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail.

How many colors and fonts should you use in email signatures?

A clean, professional signature is easier to read and more consistent across devices when you limit design elements. Here’s how to balance simplicity with brand identity.

• Limit your color palette: Using fewer brand colors improve readability and reduces issues with contrast or display across devices. This is especially important for users viewing emails in dark mode, where too many colors can make details harder to read.
• Stick to one font: Using a single, clean font creates a professional and consistent look. It also reduces rendering issues in different email clients and makes your signature easier on the eyes.
• Think “team uniform”: Just as uniforms are memorable with limited palettes, streamlined colors, and fonts make your email signatures more recognizable and brand-aligned.
• Differentiate banners: Unlike signatures, banners function more like digital ads. Here, a broader palette with strong contrasts can help catch attention and drive engagement.

Why should you create an in-house email signature style guide?

A style guide ensures that every employee’s signature adheres to the same professional standards. It also makes life easier for designers and protects email deliverability.

• Design brief: Document the desired mood, look, and feel for signatures, along with how often updates will be made.
• Define top goals: Outline the three most important outcomes (e.g., readability, contact clarity, subtle brand promotion).
• Information hierarchy: Prioritize what elements appear first — typically name, company, and one key contact method.
• Deliverability rules: Note design constraints that affect deliverability (e.g., avoid oversized images hosted externally).
• System integration: Describe how signature banners may tie into marketing automation or CRM systems.
• Device defaults: Specify which device or screen size signatures should be optimized for first, along with any secondary considerations.
• Font and color guidelines: Clarify which brand-approved fonts and colors to use.
• Image specifications: Set exact requirements for image formats, sizes, and hosting best practices.

What are the best email signature examples?

The best email signature examples keep things simple: they make it easy to identify the sender, share the right contact details, and reinforce brand trust without distracting from the email itself. Below are three signature styles that work across various industries and use cases, along with their respective strengths.

Example 1: Minimal email signature (clean and text-first)

This signature is a great example of a minimalist format that still looks professional. It keeps everything focused on essential information: name, role, phone number, website, and email. There’s no visual clutter, which makes it more reliable across email clients and a good option for teams that want consistency without relying on images.

This format works because it:

• Keeps the signature short and scannable
• Loads instantly (no image dependency)
• Works well in replies and on mobile
• Ideal for recipients who just need the basics fast

Source: Wise Stamp

Example 2: Professional email signature with headshot + social icons

This signature adds personality and branding while staying structured and readable. The headshot helps recipients recognize the sender faster, and the icons create quick access to relevant social channels without throwing extra links into the body of the signature. The contact details are also clearly labeled, which makes scanning easier.

What this example gets right:

• Strong visual hierarchy (name first, details second)
• Clear labeling improves readability
• Social icons are tucked away neatly instead of crowding the text
• Headshot adds a human element without overwhelming the layout

Source: Signature Generator

Example 3: Email signature with CTA banner + compliance disclaimer

This is a strong example of a “campaign-style” email signature, designed to drive action while keeping the essentials visible. The banner functions as a built-in promotional space, ideal for features such as appointment booking, events, reports, or announcements. It also demonstrates how some organizations include a legal disclaimer when necessary, particularly in regulated industries.

Why this format works:

• Keeps contact details visible above the banner
• Uses one clear CTA (“Book appointment”) instead of multiple actions
• Banner reinforces the message visually without replacing the signature
• Disclaimer supports compliance requirements where needed

Source: Exclaimer

Do email signatures need legal disclaimers?

Beyond design and branding, email signatures also carry legal and compliance responsibilities. Including the right disclaimers and accessibility practices ensures that your communication remains professional and compliant across various industries.

• Add legal disclaimers where required: Many regulated industries, such as finance, healthcare, or law, require email disclaimers that address confidentiality, liability, or compliance with governing bodies. Keep them concise, professional, and consistently applied across all signatures.
• Prioritize accessibility best practices: Use alt text for company logos, stick to font sizes above 12px, and ensure high contrast between text and background. Accessible email signatures not only reduce legal risk but also make your brand more inclusive.
• Adapt for global teams: Different regions may require localized disclaimers or privacy statements. Work with your compliance or legal teams to create signature templates tailored for different geographies.

How do you test an email signature for reliable rendering?

Even the most polished email signature design can lose impact if it renders poorly. Testing across devices, email clients, and modes like dark mode ensures your signature looks professional wherever it lands.

• Cross-client testing is non-negotiable: Email clients such as Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, and Yahoo each interpret HTML differently. A signature that looks perfect in one may break in another, so preview across all major platforms.
• Mobile-first approach: Since more than half of emails are opened on mobile, design your signature to scale gracefully on smaller screens. Keep layouts vertical, test spacing, and ensure CTAs and links remain tappable.
• Account for dark mode: With dark mode now the default in many inboxes, confirm that logos, text, and colors remain legible. Transparent PNGs and strong color contrast work best.
• Fallback for image blocking: Many clients disable images by default. Use live text for essential info so the signature remains useful even when logos or banners don’t load.
• Optimize image weight and format: Large images slow load times and may trigger spam filters. Stick to compressed PNG or JPG formats, under 100KB where possible, to balance quality with performance.
• Use testing tools for scale: Platforms like Litmus, Email on Acid, or built-in client simulators help automate QA, saving time and catching issues before deployment.
• Run internal pilots: Before rolling out company-wide, send test signatures to internal groups using different devices and operating systems. Collect feedback on readability, loading time, and CTA visibility.

Together, these sections underscore that effective email signature design is more than a creative exercise; it’s about ensuring compliance, accessibility, and consistent rendering so your brand shows up flawlessly in every inbox.

Email signature: Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Got more questions? We have the answers.

Q1. How long should an email signature be?

A professional email signature should be short and easy to scan. Aim for 4–7 lines of core details, then add only one optional element (like a logo or CTA). If it feels longer than the email, it’s doing too much.

Q2. Should you add a headshot to an email signature?

A headshot in an email signature can build trust and make the sender more recognizable, particularly in customer-facing roles. Keep it small, professional, and consistent across the team. Always use live text for core contact info so the signature still works if images don’t load.

Q3. Do you need a plain-text email signature fallback?

Yes. A plain-text email signature fallback ensures your information remains readable if HTML breaks or images are blocked. Include your name, title, company, and one contact method (plus a website if needed).

Q4. Why does my email signature look different in Outlook versus Gmail?

Your email signature may appear different because Outlook and Gmail render HTML differently, and Outlook is particularly inconsistent with formatting. Keep layouts simple, rely on live text for key details, and test across major clients and mobile before rolling it out.

Q5. Can email signatures affect deliverability or spam filters?

Yes. An email signature can trigger deliverability issues when it’s image-heavy, contains numerous links, or features large promotional banners. Keep images compressed, limit the number of links, and avoid overly complex layouts to minimize risk.

Start designing your banners today

An email signature isn’t just a sign-off; it’s a strategic brand asset. Done right, it reinforces credibility, projects professionalism, and doubles as a low-cost marketing channel.

By aligning design with your brand, incorporating purposeful CTAs, and maintaining clean layouts, you can transform every email into an opportunity to build trust and drive engagement.

The takeaway? Don’t treat your email signature as an afterthought. With the right approach, it becomes a scalable tool for awareness, engagement, and growth in every inbox.

Check out the top email template builders on G2 and try out a comprehensive collection of templates, with powerful letterheaders and attractive visuals.

This article was originally published in 2020. It has been updated with new information.