Email Signature Social Icons

20px is the minimum recognisable size. 24px is the standard. Larger than 28px starts to look disproportionate relative to the surrounding text at 12–13px.

Export at 2× display size. Set width='24' and style='width:24px' on the img tag. Retina displays render at 24px visual size with 48px of pixel data — icons appear crisp rather than blurry.

SVG is not supported in desktop Outlook (2016, 2019, 2021, 365). It renders as a broken image placeholder. PNG works in all clients. Keep file size under 5KB per icon after compression.

Use the same icon set throughout. Mix of flat/filled/outlined styles from different sources looks unprofessional. Pick one style: all filled, all outline, or all flat colour.

Achieved with margin-right on the anchor tag wrapping each icon, or with table cell padding. Consistent spacing is critical — uneven gaps between icons look careless.

Corporate professional (most roles)

LinkedIn only for most standard professional roles. It's universally professional and expected. Everything else is optional and role-specific.

Software developer / engineer

GitHub is the primary portfolio for developers. Add only if your GitHub profile is active and public. A sparse GitHub profile is worse than no link.

Designer / creative

Portfolio platform is more valuable than LinkedIn for creatives. Pick the one that best represents your work. Both is acceptable if both are maintained.

Marketing / content / media

Twitter/X relevant if you publish professional commentary there. Not relevant if your Twitter is personal. Instagram only if you have a professional account with relevant content.

Freelancer / consultant

Your portfolio URL as a text link is more valuable than a social icon. Icons for platforms add branding; a portfolio link adds evidence of your work.

Founder / startup

Founders who are active on X benefit from including it — it's where their audience often is. Keep it to 2–3 icons maximum.

Mistake: Too many icons

Fix: Maximum 3–4 social icons. A row of 8 icons is visual noise — recipients don't click them all. Pick only platforms where you have active, professional content.

Mistake: Using SVG icons

Fix: SVG renders as a broken image in desktop Outlook. Convert all icons to PNG. Use the 2× size trick for retina sharpness.

Mistake: Inconsistent icon styles

Fix: Don't mix filled, outline, and coloured icons from different sets. Use one icon pack throughout (e.g. all from Simple Icons, all from Font Awesome PNG export, or all from your design tool).

Mistake: Linking to inactive profiles

Fix: A LinkedIn with no activity, a GitHub with no public repos, or a Behance with placeholder projects is worse than no link. Only link to profiles you actively maintain.

Mistake: Icons too small to tap on mobile

Fix: Below 20px, icons become difficult to tap accurately on a phone. The minimum tap target per Apple HIG is 44×44pt. Use 24px icons with at least 10px spacing between them.