Animated GIFs have become a popular way to bring life and personality to emails. But when it comes to email signatures, should you include them? The short answer is: yes, you can — but with a few important caveats.
Are Animated GIFs Supported in Email Signatures?
Most major email clients support animated GIFs, which means they will generally display correctly for your recipients. Gmail, Apple Mail, Outlook (on most platforms), and many webmail services can all handle GIF animations without issue. However, some email programs — particularly older versions of Outlook — may only display the first frame of the animation. For this reason, it's important to design your GIF so that the first frame looks presentable on its own.
Why You Should Be Cautious with Animated GIFs
While GIFs can add visual interest, they come with some downsides, especially when used in email signatures:
File Size Adds Up
Every email you send includes your signature. If your animated GIF is large, this can add significant bulk to your emails over time. This affects both senders and recipients, slowing down email load times and consuming unnecessary bandwidth.
They Can Distract or Annoy
While your message should take center stage, an animated GIF in your signature can inadvertently draw attention away from your message content. If it's overly flashy or repetitive, it may even irritate recipients — especially in ongoing threads or professional settings.
Email Deliverability Risks
Large attachments or bloated emails can sometimes trigger spam filters or cause emails to load slowly, potentially affecting the deliverability of your messages.
Compatibility Issues
Not every recipient will see the animation. Some may only see the first frame, so your design should account for this.
Best Practices for Using Animated GIFs in Email Signatures
If you decide to use an animated GIF, here are a few ways to make sure you do it right:
Keep It Minimal
Use animation sparingly. Consider subtle loops or small movement rather than loud or distracting visuals.
Optimize for Size
Aim for GIFs that are 0.5MB or less! You can achieve this by reducing the dimensions, limiting the color palette, shortening the animation, and removing unnecessary frames. Unfortunately this needs to be done when the animated GIF is created with the source files, as optimizing an animated GIF later can ruin it.
Test Across Email Clients
Make sure to test how your signature appears in different email apps to ensure your GIF looks good — or at least acceptable — everywhere.
Animated GIFs can add a touch of personality or flair to your email signature, but they should be used thoughtfully. By keeping them small, subtle, and optimized, you can ensure they enhance rather than hinder your professional communications.
Looking to create a polished, professional signature — with or without animations? Signature.email makes it easy to design and manage beautiful email signatures for your whole organization.
