The dark side is here… Prepare Your Email Signatures for Dark Mode.

The dark mode appears to be the hottest trend and has steadily gained popularity with users on every popular platform. Today, dark mode is available for most devices & software applications, with emails clients (like Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail) being the latest members of this dark, ominous and predominant group.

Unfortunately, if you’re not vigilant, the dark mode may detrimentally impact your beautifully crafted email signatures. You might be wondering why? Because when creating signatures for emails, most designers did not think about how their signatures would appear when the recipient is using dark mode.

However, as the dark background setting is becoming more popular, adapting your email signature to be compatible with the dark mode has become more of a necessity. Here are some quick suggestions to help you optimise your email signatures for dark mode setting.

1. Use transparent background images in your email signatures

Typically, email service providers that offer Dark mode options automatically alter the colour of the CSS but not the colours in the images. If you’re using images, it is recommended to choose transparent backgrounds to ensure that the image’s appearance can change according to the background or theme.

2. Use white stroke around the dark text

Concerning the fonts you use in your email signatures,  one trick you can employ is to use a white stroke over fonts with darker shades. Although the stroke isn’t quite visible in lighter settings, it helps make the text clear and easy to read when used in dark mode.

3. Do not mix images and background colours.

While many graphic designers mix background and images to create ‘Call-To-Actions’ or other design elements, this may not be the best choice if you are designing for both light and dark themes. If you’re using backgrounds, they may shift between light and dark modes, but the images won’t.

4. Make sure you test your email signatures before sending them out!

The last & most important step is to make sure you test your email signatures in both light and dark mode. While you might not be able to make your emails look flawless in every setting, you can use tricks to improve your email signature for both dark and light themes. If you test your email signatures before sending them out, you’ll be able to determine what works and what does not.

By following these tips and making minor changes to your email signature, you can avoid any issues with dark mode on most email clients and devices. This will also ensure your email signature is perfectly optimised and is ready to use with dark mode.

Welcome to the dark side..!

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