How to make a lasting impression with a handwritten email signature

What professions are suitable for handwritten email signatures?

If you’d like to create a handwritten email signature but still aren’t sure whether it’d be appropriate, then check out the information below. 

We’ve come up with a list of suitable job titles for handwritten email signatures👇

Medical professions 👩‍⚕️

Opt for a handwritten email signature if you’re based in any of the following:

Trust is fundamental when you’re a medical professional. Without it recipients (your patients) won’t go to you for advice. 

A handwritten email signature serves as a guarantee of authenticity, helping validate your medical expertise and build trust. 

Creative professions 🎨

Think about Elvis Presley for a second.

And no, not about his peanut butter sandwiches. 

His handwritten signature became a staple part of his brand, adding a personal touch to his record covers. 

And emails weren't even around in the 1950s. 

Imagine the success he could've achieved with a handwritten email signature too...

As a musician, his loss is your gain.  

What are the best practices for handwritten email signatures

Don’t just dive into handwritten email signatures. There are a couple of things to bear in mind👇

Use a dark colour 🌑

There’s no point in a handwritten email signature that’s in bright yellow. 

In fact, we recommend you steer clear from bright colours altogether. Stick to dark colours, such as black or brown. 

Use an abbreviated version of your name 🔡

The space on your email signature is small. And every part of it has to be easy to read. 

If your name is long, think about abbreviating or shortening it so the handwritten signature fits within the space. Otherwise you risk cutting your name off halfway through.  

Handwritten email signature key takeaways 

To sum things up:

A handwritten email signature will help you with your professional, personal, and promotional needs. 

Handwritten email signatures work best in medical and creative industries. 

Always write out your handwritten email signature in a dark colour, to make sure it’s easily seen by recipients.

If your name is long, it might be cut off because of the handwritten format. Shorten your name or abbreviate your signature so it fits in the small email signature space.  

Handwritten email signature FAQs

How do I add a handwritten email signature on Gmail? 

There are a couple of ways you can add a handwritten email signature to Gmail. You can either add it as an image that you’ve scanned onto your computer, or use a handwritten style font. We’ve got both step-by-step tutorials down below. 

Tutorial 1: adding an image of your handwritten email signature to Gmail 👇

1. Write handwritten signature on white paper. 
2. Take a picture of it or scan to computer. 
3. Save image. 
4. Open “Gmail”. 
5. Open “Settings”.
6. Scroll down to “Signature” under “General”.
7. Click on signature/ hit “Create New” under “No Signatures” section.  
8. Click  “Images” icon in toolbar.
9. Upload image. 
10. Scroll down.
11. “Save Changes”.

Tutorial 2: adding handwritten-style email signature to Gmail 👇

1. Login to “Gmail”. 
2. Click  “⚙”. 
3. Open “Settings”. 
4. Click “General”. 
5. Scroll down to “Signature”. 
6. Click “Create New” and label new signature. 
7. Choose handwritten-style font. 
8. Type in text box. 
9. Scroll down. 
10. Click “Save Changes”. 

How do I add a handwritten email signature on Outlook? 

There are a couple of ways you can add a handwritten email signature to Outlook. You can either add it as an image that you’ve scanned onto your computer, or use a handwritten style font. We’ve got both step-by-step tutorials down below. 

Tutorial 1: adding an image of your handwritten email signature to Outlook 👇

Note: this tutorial is for Outlook on Office 365 and the Outlook Web Application. 

1. Write handwritten signature on white paper. 
2. Take a picture of it or scan to computer. 
3. Save image. 
4. Open “Outlook”.
5. Hit “Settings”.
6. Type “Signature” in search.
7. Click on “Email signature”.
8. Move the mouse where you want the image to be.
9. Click “Image” icon in toolbar.
10. Select image
11. Hit “Save”. 

Tutorial 2: adding handwritten-style email signature to Outlook 👇

1. Log in to “Outlook”.
2. Hit “Settings”.
3. Type “Signature” in search box.
4. Click “Email signature”. 
5. Choose handwritten-style font. 
6. Type signature in text box. 
7. Hit “Save”. 
8. Close “Email Signature Editor”.

And there you have it. That’s everything you need to know about handwritten email signatures. 👌