Having a personalized signature is like having an extension of your personality to show it to others. If you are interested in perfecting your handwritten signature, want to create an electronic signature for your blog or website or want to add a signature to your email, please read the following steps.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Personalize the Handwritten Signature
Step 1. Determine what your signature should contain
If you were ever to look at the signatures of a thousand different people, you would notice that they vary quite significantly from each other not only in appearance, but also in content. Some sign with their full name, others only with their surname, while others still only use their initials. So, first of all decide exactly what you want to include in your signature.
- If you are concerned about it being forged, your best bet is to make the signature a little longer and more legible by including both first and last names and writing them clearly. It is much easier to forge scribbles than to copy the nuances of a legible signature.
- In general, signatures that include only initials (with or without the initial of the middle name, if any) are considered more formal and suitable in a professional setting than complete ones.
- Sometimes, people who do not like their name exclude it and sign only with the surname or only affix the initial.
Step 2. Print your signature
Before you proceed to sign your name, start writing it in block capitals several times. You may find that, in an attempt to recreate the signature in block capitals, you automatically start adding frills and other details in the right places. By writing it in capital letters, therefore, you can analyze where you want to add or remove something and what you should embellish or not.
- Determine which features you prefer in the print signature. Do you like the inclination, the size, the shape of certain letters? Take note of these details so that you can reproduce them when you customize your signature.
- Pay attention to the size of your handwriting. Studies show that those who make a very small signature have a tendency to be neglected, while those who sign with larger letters are often arrogant or megalomaniac. Both when you write it in block letters and when you have to sign, make sure that your name has a medium size, similar to that of when you write regularly.
Step 3. Determine to what extent your signature should be legible
Before moving on to writing it, you should focus on its readability. Some people's signatures are so clear that they appear to be written in block capitals, while others resemble disgrace or scribbles and are completely illegible. Even if you want to create a signature that is difficult to reproduce (and therefore also illegible), try to stay true to your personality and make sure it is not tangled.
- To make the signature more difficult to read, you can move the letters closer together or flatten them and separate them further.
- If you don't want it to be easy to read, avoid writing it by leaving out a few letters or using bad handwriting. These are unprofessional tactics that don't make her look good at all.
Step 4. Start making some changes to your signature
Practice signing your name in various ways on a piece of paper, hazarding some proof of what you'd like to change. Start slowly and make more and more noticeable variations in your way of signing, instead of immediately diving into something totally new. Here are some alternatives to consider:
- Significantly increase the size of the capital letters of the name.
- Add some embellishment to the ends of the letters (especially T, Y, E and G).
- Change the shape of the letters to be round or oval (especially O, U, C, R, B and P).
- Introduce the traditional cursive and calligraphic style into the signature.
- Partially underline the name.
- Add more shapes and decorative elements.
Step 5. Refine your signature
When you've chosen everything you want to add or remove from your current signature, start introducing every new aspect to your writing. Don't make huge changes right away, or the signature will take on an unnatural look and you'll likely forget the changes you intended to make. Instead, slowly add and remove the elements you want over a few weeks until you've customized it.
- To speed things up, practice writing your signature every day.
- Consistency is a key element when you plan to change your signature. If you can't transcribe it the same way every time, you should probably limit the number of changes you're making.
- When in doubt, remember that the less, the better. Even if you wish to have an extremely elaborate signature, during the first few months you probably won't be able to. Don't complicate your life and add more details over time.
Method 2 of 3: Customize the Email Signature
Step 1. Consider what the signature should contain
Unlike the handwritten ones and those intended for blogs, the e-mail signature must not imitate the appearance of the handwritten one, rather it must bear some personal information at the bottom of each e-mail you send. This typically includes your full name, contact information, and mailing address. Avoid putting personal information, short catchy phrases or quotes inside.
Step 2. Create a signature in Outlook
If you have Microsoft Outlook installed on your computer, you can easily create an email signature. Open the program and do the following:
- Go to the "Tools" menu, select "Options" and then "Mail format".
- Click on the "Signatures" button about halfway through the dialog box.
- Enter your signature settings. When finished, click "OK" and "OK" again in the previous box.
Step 3. Create a signature in Gmail
To create a signature on your Gmail account, open your inbox and follow these directions:
- In the upper right corner of the screen, click on the gear icon, then scroll and click on "Settings".
- Find the "Signature" section in "Settings" and select it.
- Enter your signature settings and click on "Save changes" at the bottom to make them active.
Step 4. Create a signature in Hotmail
If you are planning to make a signature for your Hotmail email, open your account and do the following:
- Click on the gear icon in the upper left corner and scroll down to select the "Options" button.
- Find the "Format, font and signature" button and select it.
- Enter the settings according to the appearance you want to give your e-mail signature and press "Save".
Step 5. Create a signature in Yahoo Mail
Log into your Yahoo mail account and follow these instructions to create your custom signature.
- In the upper right corner, select the "Options" button, then locate the "Mail Options" button and select it.
- Find the "Signature" button on the left side of the page and select it.
- Enter the settings according to what you want the signature to look like and select the "Show signature on all outbox" button to automatically send it along with your emails.
- Save it by clicking the "OK" button.
Method 3 of 3: Customize the Signature for a Blog
Step 1. Use an online signature creation tool
With the recent boom in blogs, useful tools have developed in this area, such as those for creating custom signatures for these containers. If you don't want your real signature to go online or don't have any graphic design skills, try looking for a website that generates dozens of solutions for your signature. Just visit a signature creation site (for example, Signature Maker or Sign Now) and follow the instructions step by step to create your electronic signature.
Step 2. Save the signature as an image
If you are well versed in graphic design, use your talent to employ and create a custom signature for your blog with your favorite image or graphics editing program. Use all the assortment of fonts available to you, or try drawing your signature electronically. You can save it as an image and upload it when you close each blog post in a custom format.
Step 3. Scan the handwritten version of your signature
Even if you don't want your real signature to go around the internet, you can still make an equally interesting version of your signature on paper and do a scan. You can later download it to your computer with an image editing program, edit it to make it clearer, and then upload it as an image to your blog.
There are some mobile applications with which you can take photos for your blog or save them on your computer, as if you were using a scanner
Step 4. Automatically add your signature to posts you post on your blog
If you don't want to add it manually at the end of every single post, you can enter a simple code that will do this job for you. Copy and paste: into your blog post template.
Advice
- Look at other people's signatures and try to get some ideas. For example, Walt Disney used to sign with only one "D". John Hancock and Queen Elizabeth had personalized signatures, full of decorative elements.
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Legal Trivia: Under United States law, any sign, even an "X", used in place of a signature is considered a legally valid signature. It can be anything and doesn't even have to contain Roman letters. However, to avoid it being subjected to attacks by zealous bureaucrats, it is advisable not to be too fancy (for example, underlining it with a 3-part zigzag).
- For example, if you live in the United States and apply for a new driver's license, including a zigzag or smiley face symbol, the employee may tell you that the government will not accept it, forcing you to re-apply.
- The US government can enforce the rules as it sees fit, so if you live in that country try not to complicate the situation and avoid inserting unnecessary elements when signing.
Warnings
- If you change your signature too often, you may find it difficult to access your bank account, for example.
- In certain circumstances, a rather complex and complicated signature to reproduce quickly can make it difficult to prove one's identity.
- Make sure your signature matches the one on your ID card.
- It can be nice to use a nickname and gel pens when signing personal things like cards and dedications in books, but generally not allowed when signing legal documents, such as contracts.
