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Email signatures have been around since forever, but they've never really changed much. We all know what an email signature looks like; at least in theory. A little box that says "Signature" underneath our name or company's name. It usually has some sort of link (usually just http://) so people can go straight to our website from within their inbox. And then we type up whatever message we want them to see when they open our emails. This was pretty easy back in the day before everyone had smartphones and sent emails via computers. But now things are different! Nowadays most people check their mail on mobile devices, which means that if someone sends us something through gmail it will come to our junk folder without ever opening it. Also, many companies send out tons of emails every single week (or even every second). So there is simply no time left over for opening each one of those messages individually.
If this sounds familiar, you probably already realize that creating a clickable HTML email signature with your brand’s logos and icons can cause problems. The problem lies in Gmail’s character count per email. If you have a very long email signature, chances are high that Google might cut off part of it due to its character count limitation. This is known as the “signature wrap-around bug” and it happens quite often. Sometimes it cuts right into your links, other times not. In any case, here are some tips that could help you avoid this issue altogether.
Note: These tricks only work if you're using html email signatures. Otherwise, skip down below to the bottom section where I talk about text signatures.
The first thing that comes to mind when dealing with this problem is increasing the number of characters allowed by your browser. Unfortunately, this isn't possible. Increasing the number of characters would mean decreasing quality, making everything look blurry and unprofessional. Your browser may allow more than enough room for your email signature, but there are limitations imposed by web standards. You won't be able to change these limits unless there is a new version of HTML released. So don't bother trying to increase that amount of space... yet. However, if you still want to try doing this, follow along with me. First, let's take a closer look at how your email works. When you receive an email, it gets broken down into multiple parts called sections. Each section starts with <p&. Then inside each paragraph, there is another set of tags starting with <a&. Inside the anchor tag ("href") is the URL you need to go to after clicking on it. For example: href="http://www.google.com". What makes this difficult is that browsers use certain characters such as "/", ".", "?", etc., to determine whether or not to display each section separately. The problem arises when you include special fonts in your email signature. Special fonts, especially ones containing accented letters, tend to get interpreted incorrectly by Gmail, causing the entire "section" to be displayed together instead of showing each individual segment. To solve this, you'll need to remove the accents on the characters inside your email signature. Here is a list of non-accented versions of common letters in English:
A – Acute Accent/À Acuteness/ Á Accents/å All caps/ALL CAPS Lowercase Ligatures/LATIN SMALL LETTER SHARP S/ß Small Caps Only/SMALL CAPS ONLY Umlaut/ü Narrow No Case Sensitive/No CASE SENITIVE Capitalized Initial Letters/CAPITALIZED INITIAL LETTERS Capitalize Every Other Letter/Capped Alternating Round Dots/. OE ligature/OE ACCENT oe dashes/. Regular Emphasis Marker/Markers of Length 1/. Apostrophe Struck Through/STRIKETHROUGH Hyphens/HYPHENS General Punctuation/PUNCTUATION MARK Fractions/FRACTIONS Quotation Marks/QUOTATION MARK Ellipses/ELLIPSIS DOT APOSTROPHE/APOSTROPHES Single Quote Open Angle Right Slash/Right Square Bracket Double quote Curly Left Slash/Left Tilde Dot Above/Dot Above Vertical Line Below/LINE BELOW Question Mark/QUESTION MARK Exclamation Mark/EXCLAMATION MARK At Sign/AT SIGN Combining Diagram Characters/COMBINING DIAGRAM CHARACTERS Dollar Signs/$$$$ Miscellaneous Symbols/MISCELLANEOUS SYMBOLS Copyright Symbol/Copyright EXCLUSION OF SEMICOLONS Less Than Greater Than/LT GRAVE ACCENT/LGRAVE ACCENTS More Than Greater Than/MLINEACCESS Modifier(less than)/MODIFIER (<) MODIFIERS (.?) Decimal Digit/DECIMAL POINT (#) Hexadecimal Character/Hex CHR Char/HEXADECIMAL CHARS Degrees Signed/degSIGN Degrees Unsigned/dEGREE UNITS
Now, replace the accent marks with regular periods. Don't forget to delete the spaces between words, otherwise it will look messy. After that, save the file somewhere safe and make sure to keep the original files intact in case anything goes wrong. Next, head over to Tools --" Script Editor and paste in the following code:
var doc = document.getElementById('my_id').contentWindow.document; var maxLen = 100000; function updateContent(){if(doc.body.textWidth() > maxLen){while(true){//alert("here");break;}else{doc.write("\
");}}}setInterval(updateContent,100);
Make sure to copy the whole script block above and paste it under window.onload=init(). Once pasted, press Ctrl + Shift + B to run the page in Chrome's developer console. Make sure the alert doesn't pop up while testing. If it does, refresh the page until it stops popping up. When it finally stops, scroll down to line 83484 and find the variable maxLen. Change it to however large length you think your longest word is going to be. Save the changes and close the editor. Finally, head over to Settings --" Page Info and select View Source. Scroll to the end of the source view and add /script src="your_path_to_the_file_you_just_created." At the top of source view, change the filename field to index.html. Click Apply and reload your page. Since you haven't made any major edits, nothing should happen except maybe a slight delay. Refresh the page again and wait 2-3 seconds and then refresh it once more. Repeat this process until the alert pops up. That's it! Just remember to adjust the number to fit your needs.
After removing the accents, you can start adding your information. Try putting your contact info at the top followed by your social media handles. After that, put in your personal details such as phone number, address, job title, etc. Keep in mind that while this method worked great for me, it may not necessarily work well for you depending on your content. There are plenty of websites online that offer free templates for HTML signatures. They usually contain various types of graphics and symbols that Gmail tends to interpret wrongly. One good place to search for is Canva. Once you find a template you like, download it and upload it onto your own server. Remember to edit the image so that Gmail displays the correct formatting. After editing, create a new account on Gravatar and sign up. Upload the same picture you used earlier and choose a nice looking avatar.
Once done, head over to your FTP client and connect to your new domain. Go to public_html/avatars and rename your profile picture to something generic. Download images from gravatar.com and stick them wherever needed. In my case, I downloaded four small square pictures with white backgrounds and uploaded them to public_html/images. While uploading the pictures, make sure to give them unique names so that you don't accidentally overwrite existing files. Once finished, restart your computer. Head over to Settings --" Page Info and load your custom HTML signature. Enjoy your beautiful new email signature!
Email signatures are the first things people see when they open your message, so you want them to look good. When creating an email signature with your company's name or logo at the top of each email, however, there's one big problem: Gmail has a maximum character count that makes these signatures way too large. If you're having this same issue, read on!
Here are some quick tips on how to create an email signature that will fit within Gmail's limitations without sacrificing legibility. Once you get used to it, you may even prefer shortening all your emails just so you don't have to scroll through 10 paragraphs of text to find out what you were supposed to say in the first place.
For those who aren't familiar with email signatures, here's a brief overview of exactly what they are and how they work:
An email signature is basically a small block of information about the sender, which appears below their last name (or whatever else shows up after "From:"). It usually includes contact info like name, phone number, address, etc., along with any other relevant details such as social media profiles, website links, and/or job title. The idea behind these signatures is that if someone wants more information from you they'll hit reply instead of composing another new email. In addition to being able to send messages directly to anyone, most services also allow users to set custom signatures. This means that every time you compose a new mail, your recipient won't need to keep track of multiple addresses -- they can simply check your profile.
The trouble arises when trying to add additional content to your email signature that exceeds the 25-character restriction imposed by Gmail. If you try adding anything but basic formatting, including hyperlinks, images, tables, bulleted lists, and even code snippets, you'll soon discover that Gmail puts everything into plain text format and starts chopping off characters left and right until nothing remains. You might wonder why Gmail does this, since it allows websites to use longer URLs than usual with shortened versions of domains, but it doesn't apply to signatures. As far as Gmail is concerned, its own internal policies dictate how much space each individual user gets to fill, regardless of whether or not said person actually uses half of it. Unfortunately, many companies choose to put their entire branding across the bottom of emails rather than going through the hassle of dealing with something as trivial as this limitation.
So, now we know what an email signature is, where it comes from, and why it annoys everyone involved. What follows are four possible solutions for getting around this annoyance while still keeping your signature clean and readable.
One common solution is to make your signature shorter by making your fonts smaller. While this helps alleviate the issue somewhat, it only works well for very simple signatures. For example, using "Gmail" as your username would be fine, but sticking "Google" inside parentheses wouldn't cut it. Also, it's important to remember that a lot of email clients render fonts differently based on personal preference, so depending on the program your recipients use, changing the font could cause problems.
Another option is to go full screen, but this is arguably worse than letting Gmail chop away at your signature. Not only is this approach ugly and hard to parse, it cuts down on overall usability. Email clients generally include tools to help manage tabs and windows, allowing users to easily switch between different kinds of files and documents. Without them, switching back and forth between reading an article and replying to an email can become quite annoying.
Instead of cutting a few words out of an already short signature, consider splitting it up entirely. This gives you enough room to write useful information like your name, position, phone numbers, social networks, and maybe even a paragraph thanking readers for taking the time to read your missive. Then, wrap-up your signature with a call to action or similar prompt. By doing this, you avoid giving up valuable real estate that could otherwise accommodate more copywriting efforts. Plus, nobody wants to waste precious seconds searching for extra buttons buried deep within their inboxes.
In terms of sizing, the best thing to do is leave your banners alone. Most popular web browsers automatically adjust page elements based on available width, meaning that even though you've got plenty of room for a lengthy signature, it won't appear overly wide due to technicalities. So don't worry about shrinking down your texts; let your graphics and logos speak for themselves.
If you absolutely must change the dimensions of your banners, then stick with 200 pixels wide. That's roughly equal to 1 column worth of standard letter paper, which is ideal for writing letters and memos. However, if you really want to take advantage of the extra vertical space offered by A4 sheets, feel free to increase the height to 300 pixels. Just make sure to maintain consistency throughout your site.
As mentioned earlier, some programs display browser window contents in two columns, so if you intend to provide both options, it's wise to split your text into separate blocks and give each section its own unique dimensions. Doing so keeps the reader's attention focused on whichever part they wish to peruse further.
Outlook tends to offer slightly larger margins compared to Windows Mail, Hotmail, Yahoo!, and Gmail. Thus, if you'd like to maintain consistent formatting between platforms, you may opt to scale down your sizes accordingly. Don't forget that Outlook displays signatures in two columns, so you'll probably want to employ the same technique described above.
However, if you rely heavily upon Microsoft Office products for business purposes, you may want to reconsider. Since Outlook offers considerably less flexibility in terms of design, it becomes increasingly difficult to incorporate non-standard styles into your correspondence. Furthermore, if your office utilizes several different computers, chances are high that your colleagues will be viewing signatures via various devices ranging from smartphones to desktops. Unless you plan to use the exact same layout everywhere, scaling down your designs may prove counterproductive.
On the other hand, you may decide to go ahead and shrink down your Word document and other presentation materials, especially if you need to share them online. Remember that certain features require specific file formats, and converting between incompatible ones is often quite tedious.
When looking for answers regarding email signatures' length, it's best to start by asking yourself why you bother putting together one in the first place. Is there a particular reason why your signature needs to be long? Perhaps you want it to stand out from others. Or perhaps you hope to receive feedback from potential customers. Regardless of what reasons drive you forward, keep in mind that people tend to skim over signatures unless they contain crucial information like names and telephone numbers. Therefore, the fewer steps required to locate this data, the better.
If you're interested in maximizing space efficiency, you can always shorten a signature by removing unnecessary phrases and sentences. Of course, this isn't practical for everyone. Some companies may want to reserve certain lines specifically for salespeople, managers, and executives, leaving little wiggle room for other employees. Others may simply enjoy expressing their thoughts in greater detail. Whatever the case, you can rest easy knowing that the average email thread contains somewhere around 100 characters before hitting the trash bin. Anything beyond that point should definitely be avoided, no matter how interesting it happens to be.
Email signatures are an important part of professional communications, but creating a clickable HTML email signature with your company's branding and logos can prove problematic when using Gmail for sending emails as they often exceed its 250-character limit (which you may have noticed in the left sidebar). In this article we'll discuss what exactly is the problem, why does it happen and how you can solve it yourself.
First things first, let me explain what an "email signature" actually means. An email signature is just like any other signature that appears at the bottom of all outgoing mail messages sent from your account. The difference here is that this one will appear only once per message while others might show up multiple times if someone else sends out your email. Most people use these signatures to add their contact information such as name, phone number or address details so recipients know who to reach out to if need be. Some even include links to social media profiles. But since most of us don't get many opportunities to send mass emails, there aren't usually more than two signatures showing up within our inboxes anyway.
That said, there are some companies that require their employees to create custom HTML signatures which could potentially go beyond 50 characters. So before we proceed further into discussing how to make sure your Gmail signature doesn't break down, let's clarify the issue by defining what constitutes a proper email signature.
The following factors should always apply:
1) Your email signature must contain your real legal full name.
2) It cannot feature any promotional wording.
3) No special formatting except basic font changes.
4) Anything that detracts from your professionalism shouldn't find its way into your signature. For example, no graphics or hyperlinks.
5) Don't forget to keep everything concise! If you're not confident about writing short sentences, then perhaps hiring a ghostwriter would help ease your nerves.
6) Keep it clean! Avoid profanity, crude humor, excessive punctuation, etc.
7) Have fun with it! Your signature needs to reflect your personality.
Now that we've got those basics covered, let's look at where the error comes from and how to avoid it altogether.
Gmail provides users with plenty of useful tools to format signatures, including fonts, colors and sizes. However, there isn't much guidance on how big each element should be. This makes sense considering that different screens display text differently, especially when it comes to the width of elements. On average, however, the height of an email signature should range between 8 inches and 12 inches depending on whether it shows up inline (as embedded into a single line of text) or below the fold (when it takes up less space than the viewport allows).
So how can we determine the correct dimensions without having to test them ourselves? We reached out to several experts in the field who were able to answer this question for us. Here are some helpful resources:
Anita Campbell, founder of MailChimp Email Signature Templates shared her experience working with clients who needed larger templates. She recommends starting off with a smaller template and increasing the number of columns (and thus rows) until you get the desired results. You can also start increasing the column count incrementally, adding five new ones every time you feel comfortable doing so.
Jenny Govea, Director of Marketing & Growth at HubSpot says that she has seen most business owners create email signatures similar to the following example:
This approach works well for small businesses that want to provide enough information for anyone viewing it to understand who the sender is and what services he/she offers. While it's great for personal e-mails, it becomes unreadable for large groups of people. Plus, it requires scrolling horizontally, which leads to eye strain. Therefore, Jenny suggests sticking to the same layout across various mediums like websites, webinars and presentations.
Pamela Meyer, Senior Product Manager at Constant Contact agrees that there is no universal solution to this dilemma. Her team tried implementing a few solutions themselves, trying to fit as much content as possible onto a page, but found that the amount of information was still limited. They decided to stick to the same general structure while letting individuals decide how much detail they wanted to share.
As mentioned earlier, most of us won't see more than two email signatures in our inboxes anyway, so the key lies in making yours stand out among the rest. As a rule of thumb, try keeping your banner under 200 pixels wide. According to Pamela Meyer, this size is optimal for mobile devices.
If your company already uses a designer or developer to design your website's header images, consider asking them to incorporate your signature instead of relying solely on your own skillset. A good alternative is to upload a square image containing your entire email signature and place it anywhere above the fold. Then simply link to it via anchor tags whenever necessary.
On top of that, if you haven't started incorporating responsive designs yet, now is the best time to switch over. Responsive design helps ensure that your site looks perfect regardless of whatever device someone happens to be browsing it with. To learn more, check out the guide we wrote on building responsive sites.
In addition to providing relevant information, your signature should convey your brand's values. That includes explaining who you are, what you offer and why you care about others' opinions and concerns. Ideally, you'd want to weave your mission statement throughout your email signature as it helps potential customers better grasp your purpose and goals.
Here are some examples of effective email signatures:
While it's easy to write lengthy paragraphs when composing emails, it's crucial to condense them into simple language that conveys meaning clearly. When crafting specific responses, follow the advice given by Jens Berget, Founder & CEO of BrandSimple. He explains that "the fewer words you use, the easier it is for your readers to process."
According to him, successful email writers tend to focus on three areas: clarity, brevity and consistency. Remember that everyone perceives written communication differently, so it's worth testing drafts with colleagues and friends to improve readability.
Finally, remember that your signature is your online CV. Treat it accordingly and never resort to spammy tactics. After all, it's supposed to represent your organization's true nature and serve as a trustworthy representation of your expertise.
When designing email signatures, designers face another common challenge -- deciding on button sizing. There are lots of options available, ranging from 18x18px to 32x32px. Unfortunately, there isn't much consensus around the ideal size either.
To figure out what's best for you, take a look at this handy chart created by Google Design Lead Mark Whelan:
Mark tells us that he tries to strike a balance between simplicity and legibility when choosing button sizes. Generally speaking, 16x16px tends to work best for both aesthetics and accessibility.
However, according to his research, 20x20px seems to perform slightly better than 16x16px when viewed on smartphones. Also, 28x28px performs very well when scaled down to 6-8% of original size. Finally, 32x32pixels tend to look crispest when displayed on desktops.
Keep in mind that buttons with 16x16 pixles are generally designed for desktop computers. For tablets and phones, you should aim to scale them down to 10--12%. Since bigger buttons take longer to load, the latter may cause problems for slow Internet connections.
Also note that the aspect ratio for typical smartphone displays (widescreen) is 3:2 whereas tablet displays adopt a 4:3 aspect ratio. Therefore, if you plan on scaling your graphic down to accommodate both types of display types, it might be wise to adjust the pixel count manually based on the screen resolution. Otherwise, you risk ruining your overall aesthetic appeal.
Final thoughts
Whether you run a startup or operate a massive corporation, it's critical to develop a consistent identity through strategic marketing efforts. One powerful tool you can leverage is your email signature. By giving careful consideration to all aspects discussed herein, you can craft an aesthetically pleasing, functional and informative email signature that showcases your firm's core principles.
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