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Before we start, think of your email signature as a digital business card that provides essential contact information in a concise format, ideally fewer than eight lines. When creating your signature, here are some best practices to keep in mind.

Pronouns
Specifying your pronouns is not required, but it is a helpful practice in support of UB’s ongoing commitment to creating a more diverse, inclusive and equitable community. An individual’s pronouns generally follow their name and may take one of several forms: (she/her), (she, her), (she/her/hers), (she, her, hers), (they/them/their) or (they, them, their).

Web Links
Include as part of your email signature only those web links that are directly related to your professional role within the university. All web addresses (URLs) used in your signature must ultimately resolve to a .buffalo.edu domain. For extremely long URLs, please work with your unit senior communicator to create a shorter URL that redirects.

Plain Text vs. Rich Text
Choose appropriate text styling to ensure readability. While plain text is ideal in most instances of casual communications, if you choose to use rich text (to bold, italicize, underline, etc.) use Arial or Georgia as your standard font, as they are university-approved brand typefaces.

Relevant Social Media Accounts
Include information for relevant social media and/or instant messaging accounts in text only, without icons. Include only those accounts that are affiliated with the university as a whole or with your school, unit, department or professional role. Include a personal social media account only if it is used primarily to promote your academic and/or professional expertise and contains a disclaimer in your profile that states that your opinions are your own and do not express those of your employer.

Personal Statements
Do not use quotations, aphorisms or other personal statements. Such statements may be objectionable to some recipients and may be misconstrued as the university’s official position. Use of officially sanctioned university statements or slogans (e.g., “Go Bulls!” or “New York’s Public Powerhouse”) is permissible.

Confidentiality Clause
Consider including a brief confidentiality clause if warranted by the nature of your communications, for example:

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The contents of this email message and any attachments are intended solely for the addressee(s) and may contain confidential and/or privileged information and may be legally protected from disclosure.

Graphics
Graphics or stationery backgrounds should not be included in your email signature. This includes logos (e.g., UB master brand mark or unit brand extension mark) or other graphic identifiers.

Unless placed within a stylized email (using HTML), these elements are often inaccessible for individuals relying on assistive technology to read its contents, and are often treated as attachments and can clog a recipient’s inbox or cause email to be filtered as spam. Furthermore, images may not display properly in some email programs, resulting in a distorted or confusing image that is not consistent with the university’s image.

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