Pictorial Appearance is the overall visual impression created by handwriting or a signature. It is the first impression formed when the eye observes a piece of writing before any detailed examination begins.

It is also the basis upon which most people – like teachers, colleagues, clerks and family members, recognise another person's handwriting from memory.

This initial visual impression is both natural and useful.

However, in forensic document examination it is only the beginning.

The Value of First Impressions

First impressions should neither be accepted uncritically nor disregarded.

They provide the examiner with an initial direction for the examination.

That first impression must then be tested by a careful comparison of every significant handwriting characteristic.

The experienced examiner constantly asks:

Does the detailed evidence support the first impression, or does it contradict it?

Only after that process has been completed can a reliable opinion be formed.

Why Pictorial Appearance Can Be Misleading

A person attempting to imitate another person's signature naturally concentrates on its visible appearance.

The objective is obvious.

The forger tries to reproduce the general shape, proportions and overall design of the genuine signature as accurately as possible.

In some cases, the genuine signature may even be placed beneath the paper being written upon, allowing the forger to follow it as a guide.

Consequently, the pictorial appearance of a forged signature may sometimes resemble the genuine signature remarkably well.

For that reason, conclusions of identity should never rely primarily upon pictorial appearance alone.

Its value lies in providing a starting point rather than a final answer.

Why Identical Signatures Raise Suspicion

Once handwriting or a signature has been naturally executed, it cannot be reproduced identically in every minute detail by freehand writing, not even by the genuine writer.

Every genuine execution contains natural variation.

Accordingly, signatures that are exactly identical should immediately attract careful forensic attention.

In many cases, such signatures are replicas rather than independent, naturally executed signatures, and only one, if any, may be genuine.

The Evidential Significance of Pictorial Appearance

The examiner's task is not simply to determine whether two signatures look alike.

The examiner must determine the evidential significance of their similarities and differences.

If two signatures display a generally similar pictorial appearance while differing only in subtle characteristics that are consistent with natural variation, the evidence may support the conclusion that they were written by the same individual.

Conversely, when two signatures appear almost identical in their overall appearance, yet repeated differences are found in significant handwriting characteristics, the apparent similarity may itself become evidence suggesting that the signatures were not produced by the same natural writing process.

The experienced examiner therefore looks beyond the overall appearance and determines whether that appearance is supported – or contradicted – by the remaining handwriting evidence.

Beyond the Obvious

The obvious observation is:

"These signatures look alike."

The professional question is:

"Does their overall appearance reflect the same natural writing process?"

The eye naturally compares appearances.

The expert should compare appearances and movements, and explicitly determine their evidential significance.

Looking Beyond the Obvious begins when the first impression is tested against the handwriting evidence as a whole.