ANALYZING SIGNATURES

ANALYZING SIGNATURES
Many factors are taken into consideration when signatures are
compared with text:
• the size and shape of the capital letters
• middle zone size
• upper zone extension height and lower zone length
• upslant above the baseline
• downslant in the middle zone and lower zone
• formation of all letters
• narrowness and fullness of the various letters
• spacing between letters
• ending strokes and beginning strokes of words
• Underscoring
• Speed
• Pressure
• The variation of one or more indicators may be the deciding element in
determining whether two or more documents were written or signed by the
same person.
 ANALYZING SIGNATURES
• One of the many reasons that signature analysis should not serve
as the basis for analyzing a total personality is that most people sign
their names a great deal faster than the rest of their writing.
• Perhaps familiarity increases speed, since the signature is the most
frequently produced form of written communication. The increased
speed of signature production may also be based on simple
necessity, as many signatures are produced under time-pressured
conditions (e.g., business transactions).
• In any event, from a graphological standpoint, the signature must
not be analyzed without considering the likelihood that it was written
a great deal faster than the body of the writing. Otherwise, the
faulty conclusion may be reached that the writer does everything
very rapidly, moving and thinking quickly, when, in fact, this may not
be the case. See Speed.
 ANALYZING SIGNATURES
• Generally, if the person writes more slowly when they sign their name then
when they write, it is because they really want to make an impression that
their public personality is different than their private personality (e.g., that
they are more meticulous, controlled, or clear and forthright in their
communication than they really are). However, a writer who normally writes
fast will also be aware that their writing is often illegible, so they may write
their name in a slow, deliberate manner to be assured that the reader will
know who wrote the letter. See Slow Writing.
• One of the many outstanding differences we find is that people will sign their
name with much more rightward slant than their basic writing. While this
may be due, in large part, to the speed of their writing, it also may indicate
that they are projecting more emotional expressiveness than they actually
possess. People with left-slanted writing who sign their names with a
clear right slant are trying to project the false impression that they are
much more emotionally expressive than they actually are. In the
opposite case, where the person's signature is straight up and down or
left-slanted, while their text is right-slanted, the writer is a person who
is very expressive emotionally but wants to convey poise and dignity
to the public.
 ANALYZING SIGNATURES
• Studying a signature, particularly one which consists of a first and last
name, or the first name, middle initial and last name, can help us to
understand how the person wants to be seen. Some people write the
capital letter of their first name much larger than the capital letter of
their last name. This may indicate that they are more interested in
themselves as unique individuals rather than deriving most of their self-
worth from their family background or tradition. When a person comes
from a well-known or well-respected family, they may write their last
name larger than their first name, if their sense of self-worth is based
on identification with their family's heritage and/or position.
• If either the first name or the last name is scribbled in such a way that it is
hard to read, you can almost be sure that for one reason or another the
individual would like to avoid using that name. Many people have the idea
that the more complicated or illegible their signature is, the less apt it is to
be forged. However, this is not necessarily true. If the signature is very
illegible, it is not too hard to copy. The average person looking at it might
figure that since the signature is unreadable, it must belong to the individual
who claimed it was theirs. See Signature Legibility.
 Signature Underlined.
Many people underline their name for the simple reason
that they have no lower loops in their name. By
underlining it, they have an opportunity to show
their interest in the lower zone, or the material part of
life. They may also like to show others what they are
capable of doing (see Benjamin Franklin and Norman
Lear). Some people underline their name three or four
times, as if they were putting themselves on a pedestal
(see Edgar Allen Poe and John Hancock ). Typically,
these underlinings are longest where they are
closest to the name and they become smaller as
they go down. This may be an indication of egotism.
 Signature Underlined.

Benjamin Franklin

Norman Lear Edgar Allen Poe

Retracing in Signature Analyzing
Some people will form narrow upper loops in their
first name and wider upper loops in their last name.
The narrow upper loops in their first name
indicate that they will keep their personal
thoughts to themselves, while the wider upper
loops in their last name show that they are
willing to share their thoughts about their
business or their family. See Retracing. Other
writers put a period at the end of their name (see
Abraham Lincoln). This was done quite frequently in
the past and it was an indication of finality (e.g.,"This
is all I am going to say" or "I am quite definite about
what I have said").
 Margins : Analyzing Signature
• Another writing feature to take into consideration is the placement of the
signature at the end of a handwritten note.
– If they signed it over to the left, they are not anxious to communicate with
the person to whom they are writing.
– If their signature is in the middle, they are holding their ground and saying,
"This is what I have to say and I said it. Please read it. I am waiting for your
comments.
– " If their signature is over to the right, they will be friendly, wanting to get
closer to the individual to whom they are writing. They may also be future-
oriented (see Margins).
• These interpretations must be tempered, however, by the fact that
documents produced by typewriters and word processing software
programs are nearly always signed on the left side of the paper. This
mechanical artifact may, in fact, be such a determining factor in signature
positioning that accurate analysis is rarely feasible. To enhance
genuineness, a signature should be analyzed when it is placed at the end of
a sample of writing, rather than at the beginning. The more a person writes,
the more they relax their defenses and produce spontaneous writing.
Signatures placed at the beginning of a writing specimen are generally quite
different from, and less genuine than, signatures placed at the end.
 ANALYZING SIGNATURES
• An individual with large, embellished (Writing in which
there are many flourish-type elaborations.) text and a
small, simple signature is one who tries to project a form
of shyness, or pulling away from the world, while their
underlying personality is much more outgoing and
flamboyant.
• Some writers write their name with the last letter way out
to the right, thereby acting as a protective stroke, holding
people at arms length. See Ending Stroke Straight .
Others drop the last part of their last name, which usually
indicates fatigue, unhappiness or illness. See Baseline
Slope.
 ANALYZING SIGNATURES
To illustrate the many potential differences between signature and
text in a group setting, you might give each person a piece of blank
paper, have them fold it in half, write two or three lines on the top
half and sign their name on the bottom half. After cutting the papers
in half and mixing them up, see how many people can match the top
and bottom halves. Or, you could simply have each member of the
group write two or three lines and then sign their names on a piece
of paper or a blackboard. In either case, many people will be
surprised to discover how different their signatures look from the
rest of their writing. As these variations between signature and text
are identified and interpreted, you will be able to determine many of
the differences between the way the person wants to be seen by
others and the way he or she really is.