How to Design a Professional Signature in 5 Steps

Does your signature look like a dying spider? You’re not alone. Most of us developed our signatures in high school and never changed them.

But if you’re entering the professional world, it might be time for a rebrand. Here is how to design a signature that commands respect.

Step 1: Analyze Your Name

Look at your letters. Do you have descenders (g, j, y, p)? Ascenders (l, t, h, k)? These are your anchor points.

Step 2: Choose Your Emphasis

You don’t need to write every letter.

• The Initials Approach: Focus heavily on the first letter of your first and last name. Let the middle letters become a wavy line.
• The Full Name Approach: Write it all out, but connect them fluidly.

Step 3: Add Flair (Sparingly)

• A loop on the ‘L’.
• A cross on the ‘t’ that spans the whole name.
• An underline (classic).

Step 4: Practice Speed

A signature needs to be fast. If it takes you 10 seconds to write, it’s not a signature; it’s a drawing. Practice writing your new design until you can do it in under 2 seconds.

Step 5: Use Tools

Stuck? Use our Cursive Maker to test out different fonts. Type your name, see how it looks in “Great Vibes” or “Sacramento,” and use that as a template for your own handwriting.

Your signature is the only part of you that appears on paper when you aren’t there. Make it count.