This is interesting. In the US, my 'signature' is always a picture or a doodle, sometimes I write famous people's names in sloppy cursive. If it was like an important contract or something, I might try a bit harder... but to be honest I don't truly have a 'signature', I can either write my name in my terrible handwriting, or not.
> If it was like an important contract or something, I might try a bit harder.
When I was sworn in as an attorney, they had us sign a book in the courthouse as part of the ceremony. They said that sometimes people used a fancy signature since it was a special occasion, and explicitly told us not to do that since they would sometimes be asked to compare a purported signature to one in the book.
