Having a personalized signature is like having an extension of your personality for others to see. Here are the steps, whether you're interested in perfecting your signature by hand, creating an electronic signature for your blog or website, or adding a signature to an email.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Make your signature by hand
Step 1. Determine the content of your signature
If you looked at the signatures of many different people, you would probably notice that they not only vary significantly in appearance, but also in content. Some people sign with the entire name, others with only the last name, and others with the initials. Start by deciding exactly what you want to include in your signature.
- If you are concerned about forgery, a better option may be to make a signature that is a bit longer and legible. For this you can include all your first and last name and write clearly. It is much easier to forge signatures with a scribble appearance than to copy the nuances of one that is legible.
- Signatures that simply include initials (with or without the middle initial) are typically considered more formal and business-like than full-name signatures.
- Sometimes people who are not comfortable with their first name completely drop it and simply sign with the last name or include only the first initial letter.
Step 2. Practice your signature
Before you move on to signing your name, start practicing it over and over again. In the process of re-signing, you may automatically start adding embellishments and details in the right places. Practicing your signature will help you analyze where you want to add or remove details and what you should and should not embellish.
- Determine your favorite qualities in your draft signature. Do you like the diagonal lines, the size and the shape of certain letters? Make a record of such letters so that you can redo them when you personalize your signature.
- Pay attention to the size of your writing. Studies show that people with a very small firm tend to go unnoticed, while people with a very large firm are often arrogant or ambitious. Try to keep your draft signature at a medium size, similar to the size of your regular handwriting.
Step 3. Determine how legible you want your signature to be
Before you move from practicing to signing, you should aim for a certain level of readability. Some people's signatures may be as legible as their draft signatures, while other signatures may appear scratched or squiggled on a sheet of paper and be completely illegible. While you want to make your signature difficult to replicate (which can lead to illegibility), you want to stay true to your personality and avoid making your signature look messy.
- To make your signature harder to read, you can bring the letters closer together or flatten and extend them much more.
- If you want to make your signature difficult to read, avoid omitting letters or misspelling. These tactics are unprofessional and will not make your firm look very great.
Step 4. Start making changes to your signature
On a piece of paper, practice signing your name in several different ways and trying any of the changes you would like to make. Start with small changes and work your way up to making the biggest changes in the way you sign your name (rather than moving on to something totally new right away). Some change options you can include are:
- Mainly, increase the size of the capital letters in your name.
- Add embellishments to letter endings (especially "T", "Y", "E" and "G").
- Change the shape of the round or elliptical letters (especially to "O", "U", "C", "R", "B" and "P").
- Add traditional calligraphy and italics to your signature.
- Underline parts of your name.
- Put additional shapes and decorative elements.
Step 5. Perfect the signature
Once you've chosen what you want to add or remove from your current signature, begin the work of adding it to every aspect of your handwriting. Don't immediately make a major change to your signature as it will look unnatural and you will likely forget some changes you intend to make. Instead, slowly add shapes and fill in details over the course of a few weeks until you've made a custom signature.
- Practice writing your signature on a daily basis to help you speed up this process.
- Consistency is a key element when changing the signature. If you can't keep your signature relatively the same between each signature, then you will probably have to limit the number of changes you make.
- If you have doubts, you should bear in mind that less is more. While you may want to have a very elaborate signature, for the first few months that may not happen. Keep it looking simple and add more detail over time.
Method 2 of 3: Create an email signature
Step 1. Consider the content of your signature
Unlike a blog or handwritten signature, an email signature is not intended to mimic the appearance of an actual handwritten signature, but rather to add a bit of personal information to the bottom of every email you send.. This usually includes your full name, contact information, and postal address. In your email signature avoid putting any personal information, short phrases or quotes.
Step 2. Create a signature in Outlook
If you have Microsoft Outlook, you can easily create an email signature. To create a signature in Outlook, open the program and follow these steps:
- Go to the "Tools" menu, then select "Options" and then "Mail format."
- Click on the "Signatures" button that is almost in the middle of the dialog box.
- Enter your signature information. When you're done, click "OK" and then "OK" again in the box above.
Step 3. Create a signature in Gmail
To create a signature in your Gmail account, open your email and follow these instructions:
- In the upper right corner of the screen, click the gear icon. Then scroll down and click on "Settings."
- Find the "Signature" section within "Settings" and select it.
- Fill in your signature information and click "Save Changes" at the bottom to set it.
Step 4. Create a signature in Hotmail
If you are interested in making a signature for your Hotmail email, open your account and follow these steps:
- Click the gear icon in the upper left corner and scroll down to select the "More Mail Settings" button.
- Find the button "Message font and signature" and select it.
- Enter your signature as you would like it to appear in your emails and hit the "Save" button.
Step 5. Create a signature on Yahoo
. Login to your Yahoo! and follow these instructions to create a custom signature:
- Select the "Options" button in the upper right corner. Then look for the "Mail Options" button and select it.
- Find the "Signature" button on the left side of that page and select it.
- Add your signature as you would like it to appear and select the "Show a signature on all outgoing mail" button to have it sent automatically with your emails.
- Select the "Accept" button to save your signature.
Method 3 of 3: Create a Blog Signature
Step 1. Use an online tool to create a signature
With the recent blogging boom has also come the rise of pages that provide blogging assistance, including how to create a custom blog signature. If you don't want your actual signature to be online or you don't have graphic design skills, you can visit a website that creates dozens of signature options for you. You simply have to visit a page to create signatures (for example, Signature Maker or Sign Now), and follow the step-by-step instructions to create your electronic signature.
Step 2. Create a signature as an image
If you are very good at graphic design, use your talent and create a custom signature for your blog with your favorite graphic design or photo editing program. Use the variety of fonts that the program has or try with your hand in order to draw your signature electronically. You can then save it as an image and upload it at the end of each blog post in a custom size.
Step 3. Scan a handwritten version of your signature
While you may not want your real signature to be on the Internet, you can draw an attractive version of your signature on a sheet of paper and scan it on your computer. This version can be downloaded in a photo editing program on your computer, then you can edit it to make it clearer and finally upload as an image to your blog.
Some phones offer applications that take images like a scanner for blogging or saving to your computer
Step 4. Add your signature automatically to your blog
If you don't want to have to deal with manually adding your signature at the end of every blog post, you can add a few codes that will do all the work for you. Copy and paste into your blog post template.
Advice
- Look at other people's signatures and try to get ideas from there. For example, Walt Disney had a very unique "D". John Hancock or Queen Elizabeth also had personalized signatures with decoration.
- Legality. Under US common law, any mark (even an “X”) that you want to display as your signature can be your legal signature. It can be anything and it doesn't even need to have Roman letters. However, to prevent your signature from being free from attack by officious bureaucrats, you should refrain from making it too ornate (that is, with a three-part zigzag at the bottom).
- For example, if you apply for a new driver's license and include a zigzag or symbol (like a smiley face, etc.) in your signature, the person behind the window may tell you that the government will not accept it and ask you to do it again.
- The government can draw up its own regulations if it sees fit. Therefore, keep your signature relatively simple and try not to add unnecessary details to it.
Warnings
- If you change your signature too much and too often, you may not be able to access certain things (for example, your bank account).
- In some cases, having a signature that is very complex and difficult to replicate quickly can make your identity difficult to verify.
- Make sure your personalized signature matches the signature on your valid state ID card.
- Using a nickname and gel ink pen can look good when signing personal items, such as business cards and yearbooks; however, you will generally not be allowed to use it when signing something legal, such as a contract.