the designer’s guide to a branded email signature
2/18/26
education
the designer’s guide to a branded email signature
because that default times new roman line isn’t doing your brand any favors.
Your email signature is more than just your name and contact info. It’s a mini brand experience every time you hit send. A polished, branded signature builds credibility, reinforces your visual identity, and even drives clicks to your social profiles or website.
Through some serious trial and error, trust me, I spent about 2 hours trying to update our email signatures when we rebranded. I’ve found two ways to bring an on-brand email signature into Gmail. One that’s reliable across devices and an OG route that uses Google Docs, which I unfortunately found out can sometimes break. My advice? Check out both and see which one best fits your setup.
Let’s get it started
It could just be the designer in me, but promise this is a crucial step regardless. You need to mock the whole thing up first. Treat it like a mini layout project and include your logo, brand fonts (obvi essential), colors, name, title if needed, and any links or social icons you want to feature. This can be done in Canva, InDesign, or Illustrator, depending on your preferences + skillz.
Then export every element as its own image. PNGs with transparent backgrounds are the most ideal. Keep the files small, aim for under 200 KB per image and widths around 200–400 px, depending on the element.
Option 1: Ol’ Reliable
I’m calling her ol’ reliable for a reason. Though it’s a bit more time-consuming and trickier to figure out, this method is the one I’d recommend most, as you don’t have to rely on Google Docs working for you. Hosting images externally can prevent broken inline images and doesn’t require pasting into a Google Doc to be implemented.
Step 1) Host your images
Upload your signature images to a new, unlinked page on your website (ideal) OR use a free host (Imgur, Postimages) if you don’t have a site.
Grab the direct image URLs for each asset.
These images must be public or they will NOT show up!
Step 2) Create a 2-column layout in Google Docs
If the design you created involves a 2-column or 3-column layout, we need to build a table in Google Docs first.
Open up a new document, under insert → table → select the number of columns you need
From there, change the black border to white so you can’t see the outline
Copy this table and paste it into a new email inside Gmail
Step 3) Build your layout inside Gmail
Open you Gmail
Create a new blank email
Paste the table
Insert photo by URL (or Insert Image and paste the image URL). This pulls the hosted image into your signature without embedding weird local data.
Insert each image, then resize inside the editor to balance spacing. Keep your overall signature compact (no more than 3–5 rows).
Step 4) Move into Your Email Sig + Link everything
Open Gmail → Settings → See all settings → General → Signature → Create New.
Paste your design
Highlight each image/icon and use the link tool to add the correct URL (website, Instagram, booking link).
Step 5) Test that bad boy
If possible, send test messages to Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, and a phone. Check if images load, links work, and the layout holds on mobile.
If images don’t show for recipients, it’s usually a hosting issue. Try hosting on your website or a different host.
Why use this method?
Hosting images externally keeps your signature consistent, reduces the chance of “broken” images, and generally plays nicer across email platforms.
Option 2: The Google Doc Shortcut
Here’s the TL;DR version. This option is fast, but it can break. It’s the classic designer trick: build the signature in Google Doc and paste it into Gmail. And to be honest, this was our absolute go-to until I couldn’t copy my images over from Google Docs into my email, so sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. You’re always welcome to try this route first, and then check out the ol’ reliable method if it’s a no-go.
Step 1) Build a table in Google Docs
Create a two-column table (logo + details, or image + social icons).
Insert your exported images into table cells and size them.
Set table borders to white (invisible).
Step 2) Format & link
Align, space, and style the text.
Highlight images/icons and link them to the correct URLs.
Step 3) Copy & paste into Gmail
Copy the table from Docs and paste it directly into Gmail’s signature editor.
Check sizing and links.
Email sig do’s + don’ts
Keep it short. A signature should be scannable — name, title, one CTA (if even needed), and social icons.
Use one or two fonts. Stick to brand fonts for images only (text in signature will use the recipient’s default fonts).
Don’t rely on mobile photos or giant graphics. Tiny, crisp images look best.
Link to a real page. If you want a portfolio link or scheduling link in your CTA, use a dedicated landing page.
Avoid long stacked signatures. Big blocks of legal text or logos make emails look spammy.
Quick fixes if ya need them
Images not showing: Check hosting — host on your own site if possible.
Broken layout in Outlook: Outlook hates complex HTML. Use simpler structures and keep image widths conservative.
Links not clickable: Re-add the link in the Gmail editor (sometimes Docs paste loses link data).
Images too large: Resize and re-export at a lower pixel width and quality.
And to sweeten the deal, here’s a checklist.
1. Mockup signature and export each element (PNG)
2. Host images (website or image host)
3. Build a Google Doc table
4. Paste table into plain email
5. Insert images into Gmail email (by URL if hosted)
6. Add it into your signature settings
7. Link icons/images to correct URLs
8. Add plain-text contact info for fallback
9. Send tests to Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, mobile
10. Tweak sizes and spacing until clean across devices
