Email Signatures
I often get asked by clients how they can create an email signature similar to the one on the base of my emails. It's one of the many little things you can do which just makes you look that bit more professional. I often refer to emails for contact details if I need to phone a client or supplier, and there is nothing as frustrating as just a single line saying 'thanks, Sam' etc.
I'd appreciate peoples feedback on this, as everyone is different, but I tend to stay clear of having images within my email signatures too. I just find they don't always display correctly on certain devices, and not only that, they often flag up as 'spam' due to them being an attachment. There isn't really any benefit to having a picture in an email, and one of my pet hates is clicking 'download attachment' when I get sent a word document or an image and being given 15 twitter logos, an award logo or sometimes just images of lines. I know it looks good in the email, but it really doesn't help when you need to send files. This is just me though, and like I said, everyone is different. If you really feel the need to add icons or logos to your emails, at least make sure they are small in size.
The alternative though is just to use simple typography as a means of getting across your professionalism. And this is often overlooked. When I create a brand for somebody, it isn't just the logo. It is the whole identity of the company, all the way from font size and colour to how it is used within the business. Surprisingly, just using different font weights and colours in your signature can make all the difference. Look at the example below, it's not much, but making those small little tweaks with colour and font size, it just makes you look that bit more professional.
The beauty about making your email signature look a bit more polished than the standard signature is that you don't need to be a designer or technical wizard to do it. I've given some step by step instructions below to help if you use Microsoft Mail (outlook) or are using a Mac and use Mac Mail. Both are very straightforward. If any of my step by step instructions are confusing, all you need to do really is google it. There are hundreds of tutorials out there. And if you prefer to be shown, then check out YouTube, there are lots of video tutorials on there too.
Creating a signature in Outlook for Microsoft.
Step one
Open a new message. On the message tab at the top click on signature, then click 'signatures'.
Step Two
On the email signature tab, click New.
Step Three
Type a name for the signature such as 'work signature' and click ok.
Step Four
In the Edit signature box, type what you would like it to say. Regards, Kind regards, Yours sincerely....you get the idea.
Step Five
This is the fun part. Use the style and formatting buttons to make it look better. Maybe have a look at the example above, try making your name bold, possibly in a slightly bigger font. Then maybe add you title in a different colour. Don't be scared to have a mess around. If you have a specific font that you use, find that font or one similar, although stick to standard fonts such as helvetica, arial or times new roman as most computer users have these installed on their system and this is how they will be displayed.
If you have a web address that you would like to link to your website when people click it, then click 'Insert Hyperlink' and type in the website address. Then click ok. Do this for Twitter, Linkedin or Facebook if you like.
Step Six
Click ok. Now when you open a new email message you can simply click 'Signature' and pick the signature you'd like to use.
Creating a signature in Mac Mail
Step One
Before you start setting up your signature, create a blank email and create your signature in this email. This way you can use colours and text sizes and weights. You can also add links. For example, if you type in www.inkandpixels.co.uk then highlight this text, click on Edit and Add Link then type the link into the box, this section of text will now become a link within your email. When you are happy with your signature, highlight it and select copy from the Edit menu.
Step Two
Navigate to 'Preferences.' This can be done by clicking 'Mail' in the top bar and selecting 'preferences'.
Step Three
Click 'Signatures' in the top section. On the left hand side, click the account you would like to add the signature to. You can add multiple signatures if you wish, otherwise click 'all signatures' and the email signature will apply to every account.
Step Four
Click on the plus button to add a signature to the account, you can add more than one signature to each account if you wish. You can also remove signatures by highlighting them and clicking the minus button. When you have given the signature a name you will notice you can edit this by using the blank window on the right. Click within the window and click Edit and paste. It will copy in the signature you just created in your new mail window and incorporate the colours, fonts and any links you have added.
Step Five
Close preferences and go back into you mail. Create a new blank email and on the right you will see a drop down box saying signature. If you click this you should see the name of the signature you have just created, so click it and hey presto. There it is!
I have covered the two main mail programmes which most people will have on their PC's or Macs. There are many other programmes that allow you to add signatures to your mail. If you use an iPhone you can also create signatures for that, a lot of people use their phones to send quick emails. As with most cases, there will be forums online and YouTube video tutorials to help you, have a google. So, why not try it and make your emails a little bit more professional. Hope that has helped! Please let me know if you have any suggestions or feel as though I may have missed something out!
The beauty about making your email signature look a bit more polished than the standard signature is that you don't need to be a designer or technical wizard to do it. I've given some step by step instructions below to help if you use Microsoft Mail (outlook) or are using a Mac and use Mac Mail. Both are very straightforward. If any of my step by step instructions are confusing, all you need to do really is google it. There are hundreds of tutorials out there. And if you prefer to be shown, then check out YouTube, there are lots of video tutorials on there too.
Creating a signature in Outlook for Microsoft.
Step one
Open a new message. On the message tab at the top click on signature, then click 'signatures'.
Step Two
On the email signature tab, click New.
Step Three
Type a name for the signature such as 'work signature' and click ok.
Step Four
In the Edit signature box, type what you would like it to say. Regards, Kind regards, Yours sincerely....you get the idea.
Step Five
This is the fun part. Use the style and formatting buttons to make it look better. Maybe have a look at the example above, try making your name bold, possibly in a slightly bigger font. Then maybe add you title in a different colour. Don't be scared to have a mess around. If you have a specific font that you use, find that font or one similar, although stick to standard fonts such as helvetica, arial or times new roman as most computer users have these installed on their system and this is how they will be displayed.
If you have a web address that you would like to link to your website when people click it, then click 'Insert Hyperlink' and type in the website address. Then click ok. Do this for Twitter, Linkedin or Facebook if you like.
Step Six
Click ok. Now when you open a new email message you can simply click 'Signature' and pick the signature you'd like to use.
Creating a signature in Mac Mail
Step One
Before you start setting up your signature, create a blank email and create your signature in this email. This way you can use colours and text sizes and weights. You can also add links. For example, if you type in www.inkandpixels.co.uk then highlight this text, click on Edit and Add Link then type the link into the box, this section of text will now become a link within your email. When you are happy with your signature, highlight it and select copy from the Edit menu.
Step Two
Navigate to 'Preferences.' This can be done by clicking 'Mail' in the top bar and selecting 'preferences'.
Step Three
Click 'Signatures' in the top section. On the left hand side, click the account you would like to add the signature to. You can add multiple signatures if you wish, otherwise click 'all signatures' and the email signature will apply to every account.
Step Four
Click on the plus button to add a signature to the account, you can add more than one signature to each account if you wish. You can also remove signatures by highlighting them and clicking the minus button. When you have given the signature a name you will notice you can edit this by using the blank window on the right. Click within the window and click Edit and paste. It will copy in the signature you just created in your new mail window and incorporate the colours, fonts and any links you have added.
Step Five
Close preferences and go back into you mail. Create a new blank email and on the right you will see a drop down box saying signature. If you click this you should see the name of the signature you have just created, so click it and hey presto. There it is!
I have covered the two main mail programmes which most people will have on their PC's or Macs. There are many other programmes that allow you to add signatures to your mail. If you use an iPhone you can also create signatures for that, a lot of people use their phones to send quick emails. As with most cases, there will be forums online and YouTube video tutorials to help you, have a google. So, why not try it and make your emails a little bit more professional. Hope that has helped! Please let me know if you have any suggestions or feel as though I may have missed something out!
