Signature Etiquette for Business Documents

Do: match the formality of the document

A quick internal memo can carry a simpler signature than a client-facing contract. Save your most formal, full-name signature for documents with legal or financial weight.

Do: keep it consistent across documents

Using a wildly different signature on every document undermines the point of a signature as identity verification. Pick one style — whether drawn, typed, or scanned — and reuse it.

Don't: sign something you haven't fully read

This applies just as much to electronic signing as to paper. A quick click-to-sign shouldn't replace actually reading the document, especially for contracts with financial obligations.

Don't: assume every document accepts an electronic signature

Most business documents do, but a few categories — wills, certain notarized documents, some real-estate transfers — may still require a wet-ink or witnessed signature depending on your jurisdiction. See are electronic signatures legal? for specifics.

Do: use a clean, transparent-background signature image

If you're inserting a signature image into a PDF or Word document, a transparent background looks far more professional than a signature sitting inside a white box.