GIF Signature for Email: Examples and How to Add One

A GIF signature is an email signature with a small looping animation, usually your logo. It plays in Gmail, Apple Mail, Outlook on the web and the Outlook mobile apps. Older desktop versions of Outlook for Windows show only the first frame, so a good GIF signature looks complete even when it doesn’t move.

This guide shows real examples from our studio, where GIF signatures play, the steps to add one in Gmail, Outlook and Apple Mail, and the details that make one look right in every inbox.

What a GIF signature is, and what it isn’t

A GIF signature is a normal HTML signature with one moving part: a GIF image, most often the logo. Your name, title, phone number and links stay as live text next to it, so they are sharp on every screen, clickable and readable by screen readers.

A GIF has no sound. It plays in a loop, or plays once and holds its last frame. It is the format of choice because most email apps, on the web and on phones, display animated GIFs, while video does not play reliably inside an email.

Examples of GIF email signatures

Message in a Bottle: a bottle drifts on a wave, then the logo settles into place.

The animation tells the brand name in five seconds and ends on the clean logo, so the frame people see longest matches the company’s brand files.

Tahaluf: one signature, designed in light and dark versions.

Many people read email in dark mode. Designing both versions from the start keeps the logo readable on any background.

A reel of animated signatures we designed for different companies.

Where GIF signatures play

Email app	Does the GIF animate?
Gmail, in the browser and the mobile apps	yes
Apple Mail on Mac, iPhone and iPad	yes
Outlook on the web and the Outlook mobile apps	yes
Outlook for Microsoft 365 on Windows	yes, when Play animated GIFs is on (File > Options > Advanced)
Outlook 2007 to 2016 on Windows	no, it shows the first frame only

Sources: Email Signature Rescue and Mail-signatures.com. What matters is the app your recipient uses, not only yours, so send a test to yourself and open it on your phone and your computer before you start using a new signature.

How to add a GIF signature in Gmail

1. Open Gmail on a computer, click the gear icon and choose See all settings.
2. On the General tab, scroll to Signature and click Create new. Give it a name.
3. In the signature box, click the Insert image icon and add your GIF. A GIF hosted at a public web address, for example on your website, is the most reliable option.
4. Under Signature defaults, choose the signature for new emails and for replies and forwards.
5. Scroll to the bottom and click Save Changes.

If you have a full HTML signature rather than a single GIF, open the HTML file in your browser, select everything, copy it and paste it into the signature box. Gmail allows up to 10,000 characters per signature.

How to add a GIF signature in Outlook

New Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web

1. Click the gear icon to open Settings.
2. Go to Account, then Signatures.
3. Click New signature, name it, and add your GIF with the image button, or paste your HTML signature.
4. Choose your default signatures for new messages and for replies and forwards, then click Save.

Classic Outlook for Windows

1. Go to File > Options > Mail > Signatures.
2. Click New and name the signature.
3. In the edit box, click the picture icon and choose your GIF, or paste your HTML signature.
4. Under Choose default signature, pick it for new messages and for replies, then click OK.
5. To see the animation on your own screen in recent versions of Outlook for Microsoft 365, check File > Options > Advanced > Display > Play animated GIFs.

Classic Outlook embeds the images of your signature in every message you send, so the weight of the GIF travels with each email. That is one more reason to keep the file light.

How to add a GIF signature in Apple Mail

1. Open Mail and go to Mail > Settings > Signatures (Preferences on older versions of macOS).
2. Select your account and click + to add a signature.
3. Drag your GIF into the signature box, or paste an HTML signature copied from Safari.
4. Uncheck Always match my default message font, so your design keeps its fonts.

7 details that make a GIF signature look right everywhere

These come from our own signature projects.

1. The first frame is a finished design. Old Outlook shows only that frame, so we design it to look complete on its own.
2. The last frame is the exact logo. Our animations come to rest on the clean logo, so the frame people see longest matches your brand files.
3. Whites are pure white. If the white in a GIF is off by a hair, for example 251, 252, 252 instead of 255, 255, 255, a faint box shows around the logo on a white email. We lock pure white and your brand colors into the GIF’s palette.
4. The file is light. Optimizing frames and colors took one of our signature GIFs from 435 KB to 219 KB with no visible change.
5. Text stays out of the GIF. Names, titles, phone numbers and links are live text, so they stay sharp, clickable and readable by screen readers.
6. The motion is calm. A signature sits under your message. The animation should catch the eye once and settle, not compete with what you wrote.
7. It works in dark mode. Test the logo on a dark background, or design a dark version, as we did for Tahaluf.

Free GIF, signature generator or custom design?

Option	What you get	Cost	Keep in mind
A GIF from a GIF library	a ready-made animation	free	it isn’t your brand, and the license must allow business use
A signature generator	your details in a shared layout	free or a subscription	the same layouts as many other companies, with little or no animation of your own logo
A custom animated signature	your own logo animated, an HTML signature and an install guide	from $100 with us	designed for your brand, delivered in 2 days

Frequently asked questions

Why doesn’t my GIF signature move in Outlook?

Outlook 2007 to 2016 for Windows show only the first frame of a GIF. In Outlook for Microsoft 365, the option is at File > Options > Advanced > Display > Play animated GIFs. Your recipients may have it switched off too, which is why the first frame has to work on its own.

Do GIF signatures work in Gmail?

Yes. Gmail plays animated GIFs in the browser and in its mobile apps.

How big should a GIF signature file be?

As light as it can be while it still looks sharp. Classic Outlook sends the GIF with every email, and heavy files load slowly on phones. For reference, optimizing one of our signature GIFs took it from 435 KB to 219 KB with no visible change.

Can I use a GIF from a GIF library in my business signature?

You can, but it won’t be your brand, and you need to check that its license allows business use. An animated version of your own logo does more for the company every time you hit send.

Can you make GIF signatures for my whole team?

Yes. We design one signature and fill in every person’s name, title and contact details. Tell us how many people need it and we send a price for the whole team.

How long does a custom animated signature take?

Every package is delivered in 2 days, counted from the day we have your logo, colors and contact details.

Get a custom animated email signature

We lay out the signature with your logo, colors and links and show you a still version to approve. Then we animate the logo so it looks complete even on its first frame. You get the files and an install guide for Gmail, Outlook and Apple Mail, and we help if your email app needs a tweak.

• Basic, $100: custom HTML signature, animated logo, install guide, 1 revision round.
• Advanced, $175: a more detailed logo animation plus social and booking links, 2 revision rounds.
• Premium, $225: premium animation and source files, 3 revision rounds.

See our animated email signatures, the holiday GIF signatures and all our prices. “My signature looks extremely professional. Will be using for my entire company team,” wrote one client on Fiverr, where we are rated 4.9 from 1,776 reviews.

Next step: Animated email signatures: packages and samples · All prices

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