How to write a professional email signature
A professional signature answers three questions in a glance: who wrote this, what do they do, and how can I reach them? Everything else is optional. Here is what to include, what to leave out, and how to keep it working in every mail app.
What to include in an email signature
In order of importance:
- Your full name, written the way you want to be addressed. Add a credential if it matters to the reader (Helen Park, CPA; Grace Liu, P.E.).
- Job title, and the department if your company is large enough that the title alone is ambiguous.
- Company name, linked to the website or followed by it.
- One phone number, the one you actually answer. Two at most (office and mobile).
- Website: the company site, a portfolio, or a booking page, whichever helps the reader most.
Optional, when they serve the reader:
- Pronouns next to your name, if you or your organisation use them.
- A photo or a logo, not usually both. See signatures with a photo.
- One to three social profiles that relate to your work, as small icons or text links.
- Office address, if people visit you or send you post.
- Legal details: in some countries, business email must carry company information (for example the registered number and office in the UK, or the register court and managing directors in Germany). Fairsig has presets for Germany, the UK and France.
- A disclaimer, if your profession or employer requires one (law firms and healthcare often do). Keep it short and in small print.
Three professional signatures, from minimal to complete
All three are well under Gmail's 10,000-character limit and render the same in Outlook and Apple Mail.
The essentials only
| Laura Simmons Account Director · Brightpath Media |
| (404) 555-0121 brightpath.example |
| Made with Fairsig |
Name, role, company, one phone number and the website. If you add nothing else, this is already a complete professional signature.
Complete, with photo and profiles
 | Ryan Mitchell (he/him) Senior Project Manager Brightpath Media   |
| Made with Fairsig | |
Everything a new contact might look for, in a clear order: who you are, how to reach you, where to learn more. Still well under Gmail's limit.
Company standard with logo
 | Victor Huang Data Engineer Meridian Analytics | |
| ||
| Made with Fairsig | ||
The version a company rolls out to everyone: logo, same accent color, same order of details. Consistency is what makes a team look professional.
What to leave out
- Quotes and slogans that aren't your company's official tagline.
- Every social network you have. Pick the ones a business contact would check.
- Your email address in short internal replies: the reader just used it.
- Images of text, such as a signature saved as one big picture. It disappears when images are blocked, can't be selected or read by screen readers, and often turns into an attachment.
- Animated GIFs and large banners. They distract from the message, add weight to every email you send, and older Outlook versions show only the first frame of an animation.
- Sensitive personal data: home address, personal mobile number or anything you wouldn't post on your website.
Email signature best practices
Design for a glance, not a read
Use one accent color, two font sizes at most (a slightly larger name and normal text) and one web-safe font. Readers spend a second or two on a signature. Hierarchy does more than decoration. Our font guide compares the safe choices side by side.
Build it with tables, not with a picture
Mail apps don't render HTML like browsers do. Classic Outlook for Windows uses Microsoft Word's engine, which ignores many modern CSS layouts. Signatures built from simple HTML tables with inline styles look the same everywhere. That is how every Fairsig template is made.
Keep images small and linked
Link images from a public https:// address instead of embedding them. Embedded images often show up as attachments, and in Gmail they count toward the 10,000-character signature limit. Recommended sizes are on the email signature size page.
Make it work when images are blocked
Many people read email with images off. Your name, role and contact details should always be real text, and every image needs an alt text (Fairsig fills it in for you).
Have a short version for replies
Gmail and Outlook can use a different signature for replies and forwards. A one- or two-line version keeps long threads readable.
Check it on a phone and in dark mode
Send yourself a test email and open it on your phone, with dark mode on. Dark logos can disappear on a dark background. Fairsig's Dark-mode friendly option uses mid-tone text and puts a light pad behind your logo.
Keep the whole team consistent
If you set signatures for a company, use one layout and one color for everyone and change only the personal details. Inconsistent signatures look careless even when each one is fine on its own.
Questions
Should I put my email address in my email signature?
Yes, if your signature might be forwarded or printed. When someone forwards your message, the original sender line can get lost in the thread, and your address in the signature is what lets the new reader contact you. For short internal replies you can leave it out.
Should I include a photo?
Include one when your relationship with the reader is personal: sales, recruiting, real estate, consulting. Leave it out for internal mail or when a company logo already does the job. Use a small, square, well-lit headshot linked by URL.
Is a quote in an email signature unprofessional?
In most business contexts, yes: it adds length and your readers may not share the sentiment. Some schools and employers explicitly restrict quotes in signatures. If your organisation has a tagline, use that instead.
How long should a professional email signature be?
Aim for four to six lines before any legal footer: name, role and company, one or two contact lines, and optionally one line of links. If it needs scrolling on a phone, it is too long.
Looking for inspiration rather than rules? Browse email signature examples for many professions or the template gallery.
Ready? The free Fairsig generator builds a signature that works in Gmail, Outlook and Apple Mail, in your browser, with no sign-up. Create your signature →