FreeSignature

Email signature generator › Logo

Adding a logo to an email signature

A logo in a signature is an image the recipient's mail client downloads at the moment they open the message. Almost every problem follows from that one fact.

Your details

Layout

Logo or photo — optional

Drop an image here or click to choose

PNG or JPG, under 2 MB

or use a hosted image

Preview

Re: Project brief
Thanks — I’ve attached the revised quote.

Nothing is uploaded and nothing is stored. The image you drop stays in this browser.

The logo has to be hosted, not attached

Mail clients render <img src="https://…"> by fetching the file. So the logo needs a permanent public URL. Where to put it:

Two-second test: open the URL in a private browsing window. If you see the image alone with no page around it, mail clients will load it too. If you see anything else, they will not.

Format and size

SettingRecommendedWhy
FormatPNG with transparencyWorks everywhere; transparency survives dark mode better than a white block
AvoidSVGOutlook and several mobile clients do not render it
Displayed size60–100 px wideLarger competes with the message
Actual file2× the displayed sizeStays sharp on high-density screens
File weightUnder 50 KBIt downloads on every open
Attributeswidth and height set explicitly Prevents layout jumping and Outlook resizing

Always set alt text

When images are blocked — common in corporate mail and the default in several clients — the alt text is all the recipient sees where the logo was. alt="Rivera Studio" degrades gracefully; a missing alt leaves an empty box.

This is also the argument against a signature that is one big image: with images off, an image-only signature shows nothing at all.

Why the logo arrives as an attachment

Mostly Outlook, and it happens when the image was pasted into the editor rather than referenced by URL: Outlook then embeds it in the message and the recipient sees an attachment. Referencing a hosted URL avoids it. Note that some corporate mail gateways re-embed images regardless — that is outside your control.

Dark mode

Several clients invert light backgrounds, and a dark logo on transparency can become invisible. Two practical mitigations: use a logo with enough internal contrast to survive either background, or add a small light padding area inside the image itself. Full dark-mode switching in email relies on CSS that Outlook ignores, so it is not worth building for a signature.

Logo or photo?

One, never both. A company implies the logo; a solo consultant, agent or recruiter is often better served by a face, because being recognised is part of the job. Both together makes a signature feel like a business card someone over-designed.

From the makers of FreeSignature

The same logo belongs on your invoices

You have just put your mark on every email you send. Flowzivo puts it on every quote, invoice and contract too — with your accent colour, in your client's language, and in whichever currency you are billing.

See how Flowzivo works →

30-day trial, no card required. €9/month after that.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my email signature logo show as a broken image?

The URL is not a direct link to the image file — Google Drive and Dropbox share links are the usual culprits — or it is served over http on an https page. Open the URL in a private window: if the bare image does not appear, mail clients cannot load it either.

What size should an email signature logo be?

60 to 100 pixels wide as displayed, with the actual file at twice that for sharp rendering on high-density screens, and under 50 KB in weight.

Can I use an SVG logo in an email signature?

No. Outlook and several mobile clients do not render SVG. Export a PNG with transparency at twice the display size instead.

Why does my logo arrive as an attachment?

Because the image was embedded rather than linked. Host it at a public URL and reference it with an img tag, and Outlook will fetch it instead of attaching it.

Do I need alt text on a signature logo?

Yes. Many recipients have images blocked by default, and the alt text is the only thing they will see in place of the logo.

Related