How do you create a pro­fes­sion­al email signature?

Whether for work or personal emails, a well-crafted email signature helps you appear pro­fes­sion­al. This article explains which details are essential, how to design an at­trac­tive signature, and which templates and tools can make the process easier.

What should be included in an email signature?

A good email signature contains all important contact in­for­ma­tion, is clearly laid out and in­di­vid­u­al­ly designed. Depending on the purpose—business or personal—different re­quire­ments apply.

Rec­om­mend­ed details for business email sig­na­tures

Unlike some countries, the U.S. does not legally require specific details in business email sig­na­tures. However, including the following in­for­ma­tion helps maintain a pro­fes­sion­al ap­pear­ance:

Essential elements:

• Full name of the sender
• Job title or position
• Company name
• Contact in­for­ma­tion (phone number, email address)
• Company website

Optional elements:

• Office address
• Social media links
• Notes about company holidays or events
• Dis­claimers for con­fi­den­tial­i­ty or liability

Ad­ver­tis­ing within an email signature is generally dis­cour­aged. Including optional details can enhance clarity and pro­fes­sion­al­ism but is not legally mandated.

Personal sig­na­tures

There is also no legal oblig­a­tion for personal emails, but a signature can be useful – for example, to provide al­ter­na­tive contact options or to reference your own projects.

Typical in­for­ma­tion includes:

• First and last name
• Phone or mobile number
• Email address
• Personal website
• Social media profiles

Extra elements such as quotes or emojis are best used only when ap­pro­pri­ate and in mod­er­a­tion.

How should an email signature look?

The design of the email signature affects how pro­fes­sion­al it appears. A clear structure and subtle for­mat­ting are essential.

Rec­om­men­da­tions for a good design

• Para­graphs or vertical lines visually separate in­for­ma­tion
• Maximum of two fonts
• Use company colors only subtly
• White spaces for better read­abil­i­ty
• Optional: Image or logo (use sparingly)

For­mat­ting tips

• Bold for name or position
• Smaller font for legal in­for­ma­tion
• HTML or Rich Text format instead of Plain Text (but test com­pat­i­bil­i­ty)

Avoid overly playful designs—they appear un­pro­fes­sion­al and make read­abil­i­ty difficult, as shown in the following example.

Optional design elements

• Company logo
• Sender’s photo
• Company slogan or tagline
• Notices of company holidays
• Links to social media

Make sure images are embedded correctly and the data load remains low.

Email signature templates for various pro­fes­sions

Use these templates to quickly create your email signature. Simply copy the examples for business use and tailor them to your needs.

Template 1: Marketing / Sales

Template 2: Medical Practice

Template 3: Real Estate Agents