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You’ve probably seen this before on Facebook or some other social media site, but have you ever tried using an alternative font in your emails? The answer is no. Here are several reasons why it's better not to do so.
Your email signature has two primary functions — first of all, it needs to look professional (and that means being legible). If you're writing your email from an iPhone XS Max with its huge screen, make sure you don't ruin everything by choosing illegible handwriting-looking font. Secondly, it provides information about yourself. You want to put as much information there as possible without cluttering up the space.
If you choose something too big, like Arial Narrow which is 22 pixels high, then people will only read the first sentence and start scanning down to see if they find anything else interesting. And if you pick something way too small, such as Verdana, then you might miss out important details about yourself. Your name would appear at the bottom left corner of the message box. I know, because I've done it myself! It looks terrible.
The most recommended typefaces for email signatures are Georgia and Helvetica Neue. They are easy to read on any device and provide enough room for the contact info. Most importantly, these are the same fonts used throughout the entire web. That’s how we ended up with Times New Roman back when typewriters were still popular.
But even though those are great choices, you may feel tempted to go ahead and replace them with one of many awesome free Google Fonts. Why? Because you think it makes your email more unique. But here comes another problem.
These fonts come preinstalled on your computer and smartphone and are available online. So anyone who wants to take screenshots of your emails could easily grab them. In fact, sometimes someone does just that without asking permission. Then they change the body text into whatever font they prefer and send it off to their recipient. This is especially true if you live somewhere where English isn't widely spoken.
Google doesn't care. Their policy states that users must agree to let Google display ads across the website or app they visit. As long as they keep clicking through the adverts, Google gets paid regardless of whether or not they actually click on anything.
So if you're trying to set a personal brand, you need to ask yourself why exactly you're doing it. Is it really worth spending money on a fancy new logo design only to give away half of it by signing every single letter "G"? Don't fall for this marketing trick. Just stick to simple sans serif fonts like Calibri, Open Sans, or Lato Light.
Once again, I'm guilty of falling victim to this temptation too. My last job was working for Mailchimp, which uses a lot of different fonts. When my colleagues saw me sending messages written in Calibri, they thought I'd gotten promoted within the company somehow and started giving me extra attention.
It wasn't until later that I realized everyone was talking behind my back because I didn't get along well with my boss. She liked to show off her superior knowledge by correcting our grammar mistakes while simultaneously reminding us that she knew far more than us. At least now I realize what she meant. I'll never trust Calibri again.
Some experts claim that black is the ideal choice for email signatures. Others argue that white offers better contrast against dark backgrounds. Personally, I believe that both options work equally well. What matters most is consistency. Once you decide on a particular color scheme, stick to it. Never switch things around. Black works fine for me, so I recommend sticking with it.
However, if you prefer a brighter background, green is always good option. People tend to stay focused on bright colors more than darker ones. Plus, green is less likely to become faded over time compared to red or orange. You'll also notice that your eyesight won't suffer as badly due to excessive exposure to blue light.
Another reason to avoid yellow is that it can cause headaches after awhile. Blue is known to reduce eye fatigue since it stimulates blood flow to the brain. Yellow doesn't seem to possess this effect. However, the jury is still out on this subject. For now, I suggest avoiding it.
No. Emails already contain plenty of typography elements that require your readers' full attention. Bolded words aren't going to help them focus very effectively. On top of that, bolding often causes spacing between letters to decrease. That leads to cramped spaces that make reading difficult. These issues are amplified when combined with italics.
Instead, opt for adding emphasis by underlining certain parts of your sentences. Keep track of where you place them so that you end up with consistent formatting. Make sure to keep the rest of your document clean and clear. Remember, you don't need to resort to gimmicky effects like blinking texts either. Plain old hyperlinks will suffice.
As for bolding, don't bother unless you're preparing for a presentation. Otherwise, it usually ends up looking extremely tacky.
This is a tricky question. Too large and your signature becomes overwhelming. If you picked something too small, then it will likely get lost among all the other items on the page. Experts advise opting for 12 point font sizes for optimal readability. Some say 13 points works as well, while others insist 14 is perfect. Whatever you decide, make sure to double check the results in various browsers.
Personally, I found that 16pt worked perfectly in Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge. It's slightly smaller than standard phone screens, yet large enough to comfortably fit everything in. Above 15pt is considered overly large according to almost every expert. Anything above 19pt tends to turn into clutter rather quickly.
I hope this article helped shed some light on the matter. Now you know how to properly format your email signatures next time you write a business correspondence. No longer will you be forced to settle for boring default templates. Instead, you'll be able to stand out amongst the crowd.
It’s easy enough to add your own photo to an email, but how about adding a different typeface or even changing the font color for that special occasion? Here are some ideas on how to make this happen with Google Mail.
If you want to customize other parts of your emails too -- like adding images and signatures -- here's how to create a customized email from scratch using MailChimp templates.
The first thing to consider when including a custom font in your Gmail message is which one you choose. In general, it’s best not to go beyond TrueType (TTF) files. This means any font file that uses PostScript Type 1 (PFB), OpenType (OTF), Microsoft Enhanced Metafile (EMF), Adobe Font Exchange File Format (EPS), Windows FON format (.fon) or AppleFontKit (.afk). As these fonts don't work well within browsers, they're mostly used by professional graphic designers rather than regular users.
Most free web-based tools will let you upload TFF files as long as there isn't any commercial licensing issue involved. If you have purchased a premium license, however, then uploading those fonts may be restricted. You'll need to check if this applies to your particular case before proceeding further.
You might also find that certain fonts aren't available through most online services because they haven't been converted into another format yet. For example, Arial Black hasn't been updated since 2004 so its availability depends entirely on where you get it from.
For more information on this topic see our list of the top websites to download public domain books, magazines & comics.
So if you've found yourself in such a situation, you could always convert your existing TTF/PFB files into OTF/EPS files -- though this process won't be straightforward. It involves downloading software and converting the text manually. The same goes for.AFK/.FAI files. And remember, many fonts can only be converted after purchasing them from somewhere else.
Alternatively, you could look at installing various desktop apps on your computer. There are loads of options out there depending on whether you'd prefer something lightweight, feature rich or simply designed for quick usage. We recommend checking out Fontspring, MyFontSpace, Webdings, Comic Sans MS, Times New Roman, Frutiger Linotype and Century Gothic amongst others. Some come preinstalled on Mac OS X computers while others require you to install additional programs on older versions of Windows.
Once installed, just drag-and-drop your desired fonts onto the app window to preview their appearance. Once satisfied, click “Install" to save the chosen font(s) to your PC.
We'd advise giving each service a test run prior to incorporating all your favorite fonts throughout your messages.
To start with, open up your default browser (we tested Chrome 53 and Firefox 51) and head over to gmail.com. Next, sign in and navigate to settings " Accounts and Importance Settings " Customize Signature. Click Add Another Line below Plain Text Signatures under Subject line. From here, select Typewrite next to Choose Your Signature Style. Finally, scroll down until you reach the Change Signature box. Now, pick either Normal or Bold.
Afterwards, you’ll spot two new boxes appear above the normal signature field. These fields allow you to include links to your social media accounts, website domains and personal details. To edit them, hover over whichever section you wish to adjust and click Edit Link. Then paste whatever URL you would like to display there.
Underneath the second link box, you’ll notice three dropdown menus labeled With Name, Website Domain and Social Networks. Simply click on the corresponding menu item and enter the relevant address. Make sure to hit Save Changes once done!
Finally, beneath the Personal Details heading, click Advanced Options... Below that, input your preferred phone number and date of birth. Hit Done again when finished. That’s it! Now whenever someone sends you an email, you can instantly set the tone by altering the font style and color.
This year marks the debut of Google’s very own font family called Roboto, based off Helvetica Neue. The company debuted the font last month during Google I/O 2016. Though the name sounds familiar, it was actually created by Miguel Coelho back in 1991.
Roboto takes inspiration from the original version of Android and looks quite similar to it. However, the way we know the font today has evolved significantly thanks to numerous updates made by Google engineers. The latest iteration of Roboto was released earlier this week as part of the beta release channel. But don't worry if you missed it -- it'll eventually become available for everyone via the main Gmail rollout later this summer.
In terms of design, Robota comes across as being slightly softer compared to previous iterations. Its rounded edges make it feel friendlier and less aggressive. Unlike previous releases, it doesn't feature any bolder characters. Instead, the upper-case letters now match the lower-case ones. On the contrary, the sans-serif version still has thicker lines. Despite these changes, it retains much of its character, making it perfect for both casual communication and formal correspondence alike.
As far as colors go, Roboto works perfectly fine with white backgrounds. When paired together, black and gray tend to blend seamlessly without looking overly dark. Also, red appears brighter against blue backgrounds. Lastly, green stands out better against orange backgrounds.
But wait — did you miss out on the chance to try out Roboto? Don’t fret, you can access the update right away. Just follow these steps:
Open up Gmail and log in. Head over to settings " General and ensure that Use system UI theme is turned on. Otherwise, your inbox probably won’t reflect the new look. Afterward, switch back to the classic view.
Now, click on More actions next to your profile icon. Scroll down until you locate Basic Theme Preview and enable the option. This allows you to preview Roboto’s features ahead of time.
Lastly, open up the Classic Theme Downloader extension and grab the ZIP archive containing the CSS files needed to incorporate Roboto into your current setup. Extract everything inside. Go to Appearance " Stylesheets, click View stylesheet source code, copy the contents of the newly extracted folder and paste it into your browser’s cache editor. Restart your browser and Roboto is ready to roll.
You’ve probably seen the same question asked over and over again on forums like Reddit, Quora, or Twitter—and it all comes down to this one simple answer: “no.”
With so many different operating systems out there that support various proprietary formats of typefaces (e.g., OpenType), using a non-standardized format for font files is simply too risky. And if you look at how much effort it takes to create something as basic as an email template with embedded images, it becomes even more apparent that embedding any kind of font file would make things way more complicated than they need to be.
So yes, you cannot use Google Fonts in email signatures. But don’t fret! We have some great alternative solutions available for you, which we will discuss below.
If you want to know how to customize your own Gmail signature, head here. If you're looking to skip customization entirely, click here.
In short, adding a new Gmail Signature involves clicking the gear icon next to the text box where you write your message, then selecting Settings " General from the menu. From there, scroll down until you see Signing & verification settings under Advanced Options. Click on Customize Signature... at the bottom of the page.
From this screen, select Add another signature line… under Additional sign off lines. You'll now get the option to choose whether you want to edit your existing signature or start from scratch. Once you've picked either option, hit Create Signature. Your final step is to copy/paste your customized signature into the appropriate fields on your profile.
And that's pretty much it. Of course, you might also consider these ways to change up your Gmail header image.
For those who are curious about the technical details, here's a walkthrough of the process.
Unfortunately, no. The reason behind this is because most modern email clients convert the font file into its respective code before sending them to recipients' inboxes. This means that the font won't work unless the recipient has downloaded their specific client application onto their computer first. Furthermore, most recipients aren't going to check every single incoming mail just to download a font.
As such, we highly recommend against using any sort of webfonts when creating emails. That said, we still encourage people to explore our list of free open source fonts.
What does this mean for me? Well, if you really must include a certain font in your email signature, then you may wish to upload the TTF file directly onto Dropbox, OneDrive, or similar cloud storage services. Then, link your personal account directly within the body of your email.
This method allows both parties involved to receive the updated version without relying on the other party's software. Unfortunately, however, this solution isn't ideal if you want to keep things streamlined since it requires two extra steps.
However, if you'd rather stick with uploading via email, here's an example of how to do so.
Sadly, Microsoft doesn't allow users to embed external resources in Word documents. As such, you can only embed images and videos through Office Online. However, you can find plenty of alternatives to Word online. For instance, you could always turn to LibreOffice Writer. Alternatively, you could try using Google Docs instead. In addition, there's also popular browser-based word processors like Byword or WriteMonkey.
But remember, whenever possible, using less formatting tools makes everything easier to read. That includes reducing the number of images, links, etc. you use throughout your document. Otherwise, readers may struggle to parse your writing amidst all the distractions.
Furthermore, although Outlook provides limited options for including images, it does provide a few choices. Here are three of them:
1) Embed an Image File (.JPG/.JPEG): To insert JPG files, go to Insert - Pictures - Browse pictures. Select the picture you want to display and right-click it. Select Send to - Compressed (zipped) folder. Finally, save the resulting ZIP file wherever you desire. Repeat these actions for JPEG files.
2) Embed an Attachment (.DOCX/.PDF): Press Alt + F11 keys to launch the Quick Access Toolbar. Navigate to Mailings tab - More attachments (the dropdown arrow). Right-click the attachment you want to show. Choose Properties - Set preferred properties. Now, navigate back to Home tab. Scroll down to Ribbon area - Text Formatting section. Under Paragraph group, click Link button. A pop-up window will appear asking you to enter the URL you want to attach. Enter http://www.yourwebsite.com/image_name.jpg. Hit OK.
3) Embed a Video (.MP4/.MOV/.AVI): Launch Movie Maker by pressing Win + R, typing movie maker, and hitting Return key. Go to Tools - Clip Organizer. Drag and drop video clip into Media Library pane. On the ribbon bar, locate Video category. Double-click Source Video. Select MP4 Video Clips - [Your Video Name].[Extension]. Hit Save changes. Lastly, press Ctrl + S to save the current editing project as.MMEX file. Rename this file whatever you want so that you can recognize it later. Next, follow Step 2 above but replace MP4 Video Clips with MOV Video Clips and AVI Video Clips respectively.
Finally, once finished, drag the newly created EXE file anywhere you wish. Note that this method works best if you set a static height and width for each frame. Also note that unlike GIFs, you can adjust frames individually, meaning you can position them across multiple rows and columns.
To learn more, take a peek at our guide detailing how to make PowerPoint presentations on Windows 10.
Yes. Although the previous methods don't let you use Google fonts, you can still enjoy access to thousands upon thousands of additional free fonts. All you need to do is install a third-party tool called Typekit Launcher. Once installed, you can easily browse through hundreds of free fonts while simultaneously keeping your signature clean and uncluttered. It's easy enough to resize fonts as well if needed.
Here's a quick walkthrough of how to accomplish this task.
First, go ahead and log into your Typekit Account. When prompted, click Try Free First. After installation, fire up the launcher app. Now, search for the desired font name.
Once found, select Install. Wait for the installation to finish. Afterwards, restart your machine. Within seconds, the newest font should already be available for use. Simply double-check that the correct font was selected. If it wasn't, repeat the process until it shows correctly.
Now, go ahead and select Use New Font in Email Client.. From here, input your email address. Input the new font name that you just added. Confirm that it matches the original font name that you chose earlier. Depending on your device and OS, the setup wizard will automatically detect the default program for opening the chosen font.
Lastly, copy the new font path, and paste it into your email signature.
It goes without saying that if you plan on doing this often, it's recommended that you bookmark the following instructions so that you can quickly revisit them if necessary.
Have something to say about this article? Have your say in the comments section below.
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