# Email Signature Design UK

Source: https://dijitulmedia.co.uk/email-signature-design/
Updated: 2026-10-12

> dijitul media designs HTML email signatures for UK businesses that display properly in Outlook, Gmail and Apple Mail. They're built with simple tables, inline styles and PNG images rather than SVG, kept under Gmail's 10,000 character limit, and include the company details a limited company should show. Design time is £45 an hour + VAT, with a fixed quote first.

Price: £45 an hour + VAT

## Problems this solves

- Your signature looks fine in Gmail but falls apart in Outlook.
- Your logo arrives as an attachment called image001.png on every email.
- Recipients see a grey box with a red cross instead of your logo.
- Every member of staff has a different signature, font and phone format.
- Gmail says your signature is too long.
- You're not sure what company details your emails legally need.

## Key facts

- Email signature design is charged at £45 an hour + VAT, with a fixed quote before we start.
- Gmail allows up to 10,000 characters in a signature, and images count towards it (Gmail Help).
- Classic Outlook for Windows renders HTML email with Microsoft Word's engine, so modern CSS often breaks (Campaign Monitor).
- Signatures use table layout, inline styles and web-safe fonts so they survive every client.
- Logos are PNG, not SVG, and sized for sharp display on high-resolution screens.
- Limited company signatures can include registered name, number, place of registration and office address.
- Versions are supplied for each staff member, with installation notes.

## Why email signatures break

An email signature is a small piece of HTML that has to survive dozens of email programs, each with its own rules. Website code doesn't transfer well, for three main reasons:

- **Classic Outlook for Windows uses Microsoft Word to render HTML email**, as documented in Campaign Monitor's email CSS support guide. Word ignores or mangles many CSS features web developers take for granted, such as flexbox, background images, some margins and rounded corners.
- **SVG images aren't supported in classic Outlook for Windows** and aren't reliable elsewhere in email, so a crisp SVG logo from your website may simply not show.
- **Gmail has a size limit.** Google's Gmail Help states signatures can be up to 10,000 characters, and images count towards that limit. Bloated code from a signature generator or a pasted Word document can hit it quickly.

dijitul media builds signatures to the lowest common denominator on purpose: it is the only way to get the same result in every inbox.

## How we build a signature that works everywhere

- **Table layout.** HTML tables, not modern CSS layout, because Word-based Outlook understands them.
- **Inline styles.** Styling is written on each element rather than in a stylesheet, which some clients strip out.
- **Web-safe fonts.** Arial, Helvetica, Georgia or Verdana for the text, with your brand font used only inside the logo image. Your brand guidelines should name this fallback.
- **PNG images at double size.** The logo is saved at twice its display size and scaled down with width and height attributes, so it is sharp on high-resolution screens without being huge.
- **Hosted images.** Images are linked from a web server rather than embedded, which stops them appearing as attachments. Some recipients block images by default, so the signature still reads properly as text.
- **Real text for contact details.** Phone numbers and emails are text, not part of an image, so they can be tapped on a phone and read when images are off.

## What a UK company should include

Business emails can count as business letters under UK company law. GOV.UK's guidance on company stationery says a limited company's business letters, order forms and websites must show its registered name, registered number, the part of the UK it is registered in and its registered office address. Many limited companies add these to the email signature footer in small text, which also covers emails that act as order confirmations.

A typical, uncluttered signature has: name, job title, company logo, one or two phone numbers, website, and the company details line. Social icons, a booking link or a seasonal banner are optional, and every extra image adds weight and another thing that can fail to load. Our letterhead design page has more on company disclosures.

## Rolling it out to the whole team

For a team, we design one layout and supply a version for each person, or a template with fields to fill in. We include short instructions for adding the signature in classic and new Outlook, Outlook on the web, Gmail and Apple Mail, plus a short version for phones. If your business uses Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace and you want signatures applied centrally by an IT provider, we can supply the HTML in the format they need. For help managing Microsoft 365 itself, our sister company dijitul support provides IT support.

## Accessibility and dark mode

Two checks most signature generators skip:

- **Alt text.** Every image gets a short text description, such as your company name for the logo. If images are blocked or a recipient uses a screen reader, they still know who the email is from.
- **Dark mode.** Many email apps invert or darken colours in dark mode. A black logo on a transparent PNG can disappear against a dark background. We test the logo on dark and light backgrounds and, where needed, add a subtle outline or use a version that works on both.

We also keep text at a readable size and colour contrast, avoid putting important details only inside images, and make phone numbers and emails tappable links on mobile.

## Part of your wider stationery

Your email signature is probably the most-seen piece of branding you have, appearing on every message your team sends. It should match your business cards and letterheads. We often design it alongside a stationery set. Design time is **£45 an hour + VAT**, and you get a fixed quote first. Get in touch.

## What you get

- HTML email signature built with tables and inline CSS
- Logo and icon images as optimised PNG, hosted or ready to upload
- A version for each staff member, or a template with editable fields
- Plain-text fallback version
- Installation notes for Outlook, Gmail and Apple Mail
- Short mobile signature for phones

## FAQs

### Why does my email signature look wrong in Outlook?

Classic Outlook for Windows renders HTML email using Microsoft Word's engine, which doesn't support much modern CSS or SVG images. Signatures built like web pages often break in it. dijitul builds signatures with tables, inline styles and PNG images so they display consistently in Outlook, Gmail and Apple Mail.

### What is the Gmail signature character limit?

According to Google's Gmail Help, a Gmail signature can be up to 10,000 characters, and images count towards that limit. dijitul keeps signature code lean and hosts images online so signatures stay well inside it.

### Why does my logo show as an attachment?

This usually happens when the image is embedded in the email rather than linked from a web server. Linking a hosted PNG avoids the attachment icon in most email programs. dijitul supplies optimised PNG images ready to upload to your website or email platform, with the signature code pointing to them.

### Does my email signature need company details?

For a UK limited company, emails can count as business letters, which GOV.UK says must show the registered name, registered number, part of the UK registered in and registered office address. Many companies include these in their signature footer, and dijitul adds them as standard for limited company clients.

### How much does an email signature cost?

dijitul media charges email signature design at £45 an hour + VAT, with a fixed quote agreed before work starts. Versions for each team member and installation notes are included in that quote.

### Can I use my brand font in my email signature?

Only inside images. Recipients won't have your brand font installed, so text falls back to a default. dijitul uses a web-safe font such as Arial or Georgia for the text and keeps your brand font in the logo image.

## Prices and contact

Prices (all from, + VAT): Logo design £150; Brand identity pack £395; Business cards or letterhead £75; Flyer or leaflet £95; Brochure £295; Social media graphics pack £99; Photography, half day £295; Photography, full day £495; Product photography £25 per image; Video £695; 2D/3D CAD and design time £45 an hour. All prices are "from" and exclude VAT. Every job gets a fixed price before work starts. Printing, and travel for shoots beyond the Mansfield and Nottinghamshire area, are quoted separately. Contact: https://dijitulmedia.co.uk/contact/ · 01623 650333 · info@dijitul.uk