I have really neat handwriting. I have been told that it would be really easy to copy my signature since I sign so straight. Is there a way I could change my legal signature? I need to write it more sloppy or curvy or something. All of my letters are simple to write perfectly and are above the line. Should I just start changing the way I write? I could really loop the e around the other letters but it already loops up. I could add a little mark to the end of it somehow. Is your signature easy to copy? Do you write neat or sloppy? What do you suggest. I have that typical "girly" handwriting. "Oh Clare... you have such pretty handwriting." What do you suggest? Seriously.

Interesting that you would post this today - after I received an in depth handwriting analysis report of my own writing by a handwriting analyst hired by BellSouth. Apparently you cannot really change your handwriting or even alter your signature. To quote the Graphologist who sent me my analysis "Our conscious mind writes with our hand what we want to say and the subconscious mind dictates to our hand how the words arrive and appear on paper. There are two methods today’s Graphologists use when examining documents; the first being Gestalt uses the whole of the document and the whole of the presentation and the second being the individual stroke analysis."

I mentioned this because try as you may to alter your writing or signature, if a Graphologist got ahold of your sample they would be able to find the same characteristics by studying the slant of your writing and specific text characteristics like the way you cross a t or dot an i...these things just can't change. I say stick with your current style of writing - it defines you and why start trying to camouflage who you really are?

But since your posts asks specifically about legally changing your signature if you do decide to try out a new signature you will want to go to your bank and fill out a new signature card.

Georgia, where I work it seems that the higher one goes up the ladder of success the less anyone can read his/her signature. I think that they do purposefully alter their signature; I don't know if this is done for security purposes of their own or if its only an ego trip -- a short one at that. Guess you're saying that experts could still find likenesses between the before and after, right?

Clarebear, do you have concerns about someone trying to copy your signature or are you in a position of authority on your job where this might a security risk? If not, I'd keep your pretty autograph -- just my opinion.

quote:

where I work it seems that the higher one goes up the ladder of success the less anyone can read his/her signature. I think that they do purposefully alter their signature

That's the same situation here although the altered signature comes from a fast pace work environment. The higher one is on the corporate ladder the more in demand their time is in addition to the need to sign off on everything. Bigwigs whip out a pen and sign off with a signature that would make a doctor proud. It has nothing to do with deliberately trying to change a signature - it's just something that happens based on time constraints.

And yes, a Graphologist would recognize same traits in a "before" and "after" signature.

Thanks so much for your replies. I do work a high security job but that isn't the reason for wanting a signature change. I guess I am just concerned about identity theft and the like. I wish I had one of those really cool signatures. Kelleygirl, you can make a really cool loop with your y. I love Y's in names. Georgia, you can really get creative with that second G. My last name is about as simple as my first. C-l-a-r-e. Its kind of hard not to write that neatly. One day my son was making fun of the way I wrote. He grabbed a pen and signed my name exactly like I did. I'm SOOOO lucky he's good kid.

So change your last name to Berry.

ClareBerry. Sounds good to me.

Clarebear, you could take your "C" and make it giant size with the rest of the letters sort of emerging from it. I sometimes make my small "e" like a printed capital "E" rather than the scripted little looping "e" --- looks kind of neat. You could have all kinds of possibilities, girlfriend!

I heard of a lady who signs all her checks upside down.

DD

quote:

Originally posted by doñadiana:
I heard of a lady who signs all her checks upside down.

DD

Doesn't the blood rush to her head?

Too funny! LOL

Mrs Ritzmar always gently scoffs at the way I write my signature..."Ostentatious, flamboyant and tasteless," etc etc. Being male, I of course, try to exaggerate the swirls even more, to wind her up. She does not really rise (sadly) but you get the idea. However, her signature, which sounds a lot like yours, Clarebear, is really easy to copy. On one or two occasions during our marriage I have signed her signature by proxy(!) and saved myself inconvenience along the way. She is not exactly delighted, but grudgingly accepts it afterwards as a fait accompli...

Doñadiana, I knew a dentist whien working in the Middle East. He was an excellent artist, and told me he could forge my signature exactly. As I have already said, I have a very ornate signature (deliberately orchestrated, for the very reason cited by Clarebear) and challenged him to copy it. He did no more than turn my signed treatment document upside down and drew what he saw, in about ten seconds. When he showed it to me, I have to admit that had I not known otherwise I would have accepted it as something which I had written myself!!!

He explained that the inverting of my writing left him free to 'draw' what he saw without being influenced by attempting to write the actual letters...scary...

Ritzmar: You are probably right about the forging. In Guatemala, people use very unique scribbles that don't represent their names in any way. This is their official signature that goes on all ID and legal documents. The idea is that someone can't just sign your name to something and hope to get by with it. However, if someone has a copy of the legal signature, he can always find a way to dupicate it. This happened to my husband. An employee made a copy of my husband's signature from the employee's paycheck, stole some checks from the back of the checkbook, and was in the process of cleaning out our bank account before he was caught.
If someone is determined enough, they will find a way.

DD

Ritz, I forge my husband's signature at least once a week!

quote:

Originally posted by Jenny Roberts:
Ritz, I forge my husband's signature at least once a week!

On a Friday? Does he know that he is paying for your organ lessons???

Now come on Ritz, you know the undignified lengths I have to go to to afford the extortionate sum that you charge!

...I'm saying nothing... ...