Your email signature represents you in every professional interaction. Unfortunately, many people unknowingly make mistakes that undermine their credibility. Here are the seven most common email signature blunders — and how to fix them.
1. No Email Signature at All
The biggest mistake? Not having one. Sending emails with no signature — or just "Sent from my iPhone" — says "I'm not invested in this conversation." It forces the recipient to search for your contact details, and it misses every branding and marketing opportunity your signature could provide.
The fix: Create a professional signature using a dedicated generator. It takes less than 5 minutes.
2. Oversized or Pixelated Logo
A logo that stretches across the entire email, or one that's so compressed it looks like a smudge — both are bad. An oversized logo pushes your contact information below the fold and screams "amateur". A pixelated logo makes your company look cheap.
The fix: Keep your logo between 80–150px wide. Use a high-resolution image (PNG or SVG) hosted on a web server, not embedded as an attachment.
3. Too Much Information
Your email signature is not a CV. Including your full mailing address, fax number, three phone numbers, seven social media links, your ABN, ACN, a disclaimer, and an inspirational quote creates an overwhelming wall of text that nobody will read.
The fix: Stick to 3–4 lines of essential information. Name, title, company, phone, and one link. Add your ABN/ACN and a disclaimer only if legally required. Less is more.
4. Inspirational Quotes
"Be the change you wish to see in the world" at the bottom of a tax invoice follow-up isn't inspiring — it's distracting. Inspirational quotes in email signatures are one of the most commonly cited pet peeves in professional settings. They add length without value and can feel tone-deaf depending on the context of the email.
The fix: Remove it. If you want to express personality, do it through your design choices, not through quotes.
5. Using Different Fonts and Colours
Comic Sans in purple. Times New Roman mixed with Arial. Rainbow colours for each contact detail. These make your signature look like a ransom note rather than a professional business tool. Inconsistent formatting destroys any sense of professionalism.
The fix: Use one font (a clean sans-serif like Arial, Helvetica, or Calibri), one or two brand colours, and consistent sizing throughout. Our templates handle this automatically.
6. Embedded Images That Show as Attachments
Nothing looks worse than an email with three mystery attachments — which turn out to be your logo, headshot, and social media icons embedded in the signature. Many email clients display embedded images as attachments, making your clean, professional email look cluttered and suspicious.
The fix: Host all images on a web server and reference them with https:// URLs. All EmailSignatures.au templates use hosted images by default.
7. Not Testing Across Email Clients
Your signature looks perfect in Gmail? Great. But 40% of your recipients might use Outlook, which renders HTML very differently. A signature that isn't tested across email clients may display with broken layouts, missing images, or mangled formatting depending on the recipient's platform.
The fix: Test your signature in Gmail, Outlook (Desktop and Web), Apple Mail, and on mobile. Or use templates that are pre-tested for compatibility.
💡 Quick self-check: Open your most recent sent email on your phone. Does your signature look good? Is everything readable? Can someone tap your phone number to call you? If not, it's time for an upgrade.