An email signature is a tiny design system delivered through hostile conditions. A logo that looks perfect in Figma may be scaled by an email client, softened on a high-density display, blocked until images are downloaded, or attached to every reply at an unnecessarily large file size.
TinyImage can batch export and compress signature assets from Figma. The harder part is deciding what deserves to be an image, preparing it at the dimensions where it will actually render, and testing the final signature rather than approving an isolated PNG.
Keep text as text
Do not export the whole signature as one image. Names, roles, phone numbers, addresses, and legal text should remain selectable HTML text. A single image is harder to update, inaccessible when images are blocked, and often unreadable when a client scales it.
Reserve image files for elements that genuinely need them: the company logo, an approved certification mark, or a small campaign badge. Avoid baking social icons into one wide strip if the implementation needs separate links.
Create an inventory with the asset name, intended CSS width and height, link destination, owner, expiry date, and whether dark-mode behavior matters. That last field is important for white logos and transparent marks that disappear when a client changes the background.
Design around rendered dimensions
Start with the intended display size, not the largest source available. If a logo should appear 120 CSS pixels wide, prepare a high-density export that can render sharply at that width without asking the email client to shrink a 2,000-pixel original.
In Figma, create a signature-assets page with frames for each approved placement. Keep clear space inside the frame, use consistent naming, and test logos against light and dark backgrounds. Do not add arbitrary transparent padding to fix alignment; it makes HTML spacing unpredictable.
Export a representative set before processing every brand or regional variation. Include the widest logo, the smallest detailed badge, transparency, and any asset containing fine type.
Choose the least complicated format that works
Email client support should govern the choice. PNG is useful for transparency and hard-edged marks. JPEG can suit a photographic badge without transparency. Animated assets add weight and inconsistent behavior, so use them only when the campaign owner accepts a static fallback and the motion adds real value.
Modern web formats may be attractive on paper, but an email signature is not the place to assume universal support. The SVG, PNG, and WebP export guide explains the format tradeoffs; your supported email-client matrix remains the final authority.
Use TinyImage to export the approved frames and compress them. Judge quality at the rendered signature size and at 100%. Fine lettering, thin strokes, and small trademark symbols expose compression damage sooner than broad shapes.
Set a per-message weight budget
A signature image is downloaded repeatedly across long threads and mobile connections. Record the byte size of every asset and the total signature payload. The right budget depends on the organization and implementation, but it should be explicit rather than “as small as possible.”
Do not trade away legibility to hit a round number. First remove unused transparency, excess dimensions, duplicate badges, and decorative imagery. Then compare compression settings. A simpler signature usually creates a larger saving than aggressive compression.
The email image optimization workflow covers campaign imagery at larger sizes. Signature assets are different because they repeat in everyday correspondence and must survive forwarding, replies, and client-specific scaling.
Test the installed signature
Place the assets on their real host, install the actual HTML signature, and send test messages through the supported clients. Check new messages, replies, forwards, quoted threads, dark mode, high-density displays, mobile widths, and images-disabled mode.
Confirm that:
- the logo renders at the intended CSS size without distortion;
- blocked images leave useful text and sensible alt text;
- dark mode does not erase or invert the mark badly;
- links point to approved destinations and use HTTPS;
- replies do not multiply attachments or balloon message weight;
- the host uses stable URLs and appropriate cache headers;
- the signature remains understandable when an asset fails.
Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, mobile apps, and corporate gateways can treat the same markup differently. A clean browser preview is not delivery proof.
Hand off ownership, not just files
Deliver the exported assets with rendered dimensions, file sizes, URLs, link targets, alt text, expiry dates, and an owner for future updates. Version campaign badges separately from the evergreen logo so a temporary promotion can be removed without rebuilding every signature.
Before rollout, pilot the signature with a small group and inspect real sent mail. TinyImage removes repetitive export and compression work; the team still owns accessible HTML, reliable hosting, client testing, and a retirement plan for every temporary asset.
