Email Signatures

An email signature is your digital business card.

It's important to present your email signature in a professional and unified manner, just as you would with your traditional printed business card. 

What to Include in Your Email Signature

Be sure to include your updated signature on your Microsoft Outlook and Office 365 accounts.

How to Format Your Signature

Color

Do not use colors outside of black or gray. Using color does not create a consistent signature across various email systems.

Confidentiality Disclaimer and Other Disclaimers

Include confidentiality clauses and other disclaimers based on position and department needs. Disclaimers used by a unit should be consistent from signature to signature.

Disclaimers recommendations:

• Location - a line return or two under your email signature
• Size - match the size of your contact information
• Color - black or dark gray

Email and Web Addresses

Underline: Email and web addresses should be hyperlinked and underlined.

Capitalize UND: Capitalize all occurrences of UND in an email address and before the backslash (/) of a web address. Example: UND.example@UND.edu

Color: If possible, change default blue links to an acceptable color, such as black or deep gray.

Font

Do not use scripts or novelty fonts.

Outlook

Calibri (default)

Non-Outlook Users

Calibri (If calibri is not available, use arial or basic sans-serif font.)

Labels

Use the following labels to identify your contact information:

• Office 
• Dept 
• Cell 
• Toll-free  
• Fax  

If the only phone number listed is your personal office, you can eliminate the Office label. 

Land Acknowledgment

UND’s Land acknowledgment can be included. The full statement can be written out or you can link to the full statement. The statement cannot be altered in any way. 

Disclaimer recommendations: 

• Location — a line return or two under your email signature 
• Size — match the size of your contact information
• Color — black or dark gray 

Logos and Graphics

• Do not include a UND logo or insert other images or graphics, like pictures in an email signature or as backgrounds for an entire message.
• Images and graphics are commonly blocked for security reasons, add size to your email messages, do not display correctly in all email systems, and are often included as attachments (which people may be hesitant to open).
• Due to these issues, it's best practice to keep signatures in text format. Therefore, the University should be identified by writing out "University of North Dakota" instead of using the logotype.

Reply Message Signature

Reply email signatures can be automated in Microsoft Outlook. A simplified reply signature can be developed following the original signature format, but reducing content to the following required information:

• Name
• Phone number(s)
• University of North Dakota

Social Media

UND social media accounts can be promoted in email signatures. To list social media accounts write out the site's name and hyperlink the text directly to the UND account. Do not include icons for social media sites.

Taglines and Quotes

If a college or department would like to add an official tagline or motto after the email signature, all members of the unit should use it to maintain branding and consistency for that area.

Personal quotes and inspirational sayings should not be included in official UND signatures.

Titles and Departments - Ampersand (&)

For the sake of consistency, any UND unit or title with "and" in its name is encouraged to use the ampersand (&) in place of "and" in all instances.