Javier Cuello started using Sketch a few years ago, as a replacement for his favorite design software back then, Fireworks, which had been discontinued by Adobe — leaving a whole generation of designers broken-hearted. In this article, Javier will outline how to make use of symbols in Sketch in order to unleash their full potential, going from the most basic situations to some more advanced use cases. He’ll also include some tips and tricks that he has learned along the way.
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Due to its similarity to Sketch, Figma was easy for Chrstian Krammer to grasp right from the start, but it also has some unique features to differentiate it from its competitor, such as easy file-sharing, vector networks, “constraints” (for responsive design) and real-time collaboration. In this article, Chrstian would like to compare both apps in detail and highlight where each of them shines.
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Data should be the cornerstone of everything you create. It makes it easier to account for edge cases, or things you might not have thought of otherwise. The easiest way to work with real data in Sketch is the with Craft plugin from InVision. It provides a wealth of predefined content, such as names and addresses, lets you scour a website for the required information, and enables you to feed in a JSON file and work with the provided data.
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In this article, Christian Krammer will teach how easy it is to recreate real-world objects in a very accurate way. You will learn not only how to stack multiple borders, but also how to apply gradients to create distinctive effects. You’ll also learned more about rotations and how to use the Rotate Copies function to add multiple copies of the same object in a very special way. To help you along the way you can also download the Sketch editable file.
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In the second part of this series, Christian Krammer will teach you more about using Sketch effectively for mobile app design. You will finish designing the music player that you started in part one. This includes creating the icons at the bottom, as well as making the music player responsive, so that all elements adapt to the width of the artboard and, thus, can be used for different device widths. Shapes are much easier to set up and modify, and you will still be able to combine them into more complex forms using Boolean operations.
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Sketch is known for its tricky, advanced facets, but it’s not rocket science. We’ve got you covered with The Sketch Handbook which is filled with practical examples and tutorials that will help you get the most out of this mighty tool. In today’s article, Christian Krammer gives us a little taste of all the impressive designs Sketch is capable of bringing to life.
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Sketch lets you design interfaces, websites and icons with ease. To help you get the most out of this mighty tool, The Sketch Handbook will show you every aspect of it. Not in theory, but backed up by practical examples that you can follow along, step-by-step.
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Changing your workflow can be a real challenge if you don’t know where to start or understand how to embark on the change. Fabio Benedetti has met with many designers (graphic, interaction, UI, etc.) who stick to old software because they are familiar and in their comfort zone, or because they are too scared to take the “leap of faith” and try something new, but change, as scary as it may be, most of the time is a good thing — first, because you learn how to do new things and, secondly, because feeling challenged and getting out of our comfort zone every once in a while is beneficial.
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Tools are an extension of our hands, and as such, they should be versatile, quick and intuitive. A lot has changed between the print era of offset presses and the digital era of cross-platform screens. Developers have attempted to adapt our tools, but Sketch is perhaps the most successful app in this regard. In this article, Patrick Keenan will not only show you a new tool, but also start you on your way to a new design system. Remember, no matter how good it looks, the greater focus is not on the pixels, but on the user. If your sight is true, all else will follow.
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Although it’s definitely still a work in progress, Sketch continues to be Ashley Bennent’s go-to web design program. Its tools and interface prioritize design for the web. Things like the premade artboard templates, symbols and simple exporting functionality have drastically sped up my workflow and made the design process a little easier. Sketch has also improved my entire workflow, from moodboards to the early stages of development, making it an optimal tool for responsive design. Plenty of other programs out there have similar features, and until the most recent update (Sketch 3.2), users were battling a lot of bugs in the app. So, why Sketch? Bugs or no bugs, it has become the best tool for UI design, including responsive web design.
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