Best Free Sketch Resources & Tutorials

Many professionals eager to learn Sketch hesitate because of the perceived up-front costs. Sketch requires users to license the program, and because it is only available on macOS, users may incur an initial cost of buying a device that can run the program. However, many free resources are available to help beginners get the hang of this exciting program. 

Read on to learn more about the free resources and tutorials available to help you learn Sketch. 

What is Sketch?

Sketch is a design tool for creating user interface (UI) layouts for webpages and mobile applications. Sketch is a vector-graphics design program, meaning that the assets created can be modified and resized for optimal performance on screens of any size. Sketch’s significant features include its easy customization tools, digital collaboration tools, and, most importantly, Sketch symbols. Sketch symbols let users create reusable design elements that can be modified individually, allowing users to build layout assets like buttons and drop-down menus, which all look the same but function differently as the design demands. Advanced Sketch users can use the built-in tools to make even more complex, interactive symbols to optimize their workflow and the functionality of their design.

Sketch originated on the macOS app store and is only available on machines that run off macOS. Therefore, the program can be slightly limiting but is built with the specific functionalities of this operating system in mind. Sketch has features common to almost all macOS native programs, such as touch bar support, Retina and non-Retina displays, and native font rendering. These features allow macOS device users to learn Sketch more efficiently and quickly pick up advanced skills. Web designers can also create layouts designed to operate on devices like next-generation iPhones. The functionalities of Sketch designs won’t be limited to these devices, but the program gives users the tools to optimize their layouts for specific platforms.

In recent updates, Sketch has added new features to make collaboration and prototyping easier for teams of users. Sketch lets designers work together to build clickable prototypes of their webpages that designers can distribute for testing and iteration, a crucial feature of any user-interface design software. And Sketch is constantly evolving to meet the needs of its users.

Read more about what Sketch is and why you should learn it. 

What Can You Do with Sketch?

Sketch allows web designers to create layouts for webpages and mobile applications. Users can create vibrant, interactive webpage models for testing and development using text, images, graphic designs, and artboards. Because Sketch is a vector graphics illustration tool, these designs are easily reusable and scalable. They can be optimized to work on any-sized screen and used in multiple contexts in any design layout. Sketch also recently added advanced features for collaboration and prototyping, allowing team members to work together more efficiently to build model user interfaces.

Sketch’s most unique features are symbols and reusable digital interface assets that can be replicated across multiple pages. Sketch lets users define symbol characteristics to repurpose them as the design warrants. In addition, users can manually override the function of individual symbols, letting users give each asset a different interactive functionality without having to start from scratch. More advanced users can build complicated, multi-purpose symbols that make designing interfaces a breeze.

Sketch also has a robust community of designers and developers who are constantly building new adds-on and templates for Sketch. Users who learn Sketch can take advantage of these resources to make working with the program more straightforward and efficient. Since this community is so active, new resources are available daily.

Free Sketch Tutorials Utilize

Students who want to learn Sketch but aren’t sure they want to invest in an immersive training course should consider exploring the free online options available. While these courses won’t replace professional skills training for those who want to pursue a Sketch-related career, they are great for becoming comfortable with the program or picking up the skills necessary to prepare for an in-depth training course.

Noble offers free seminars and training courses through the free seminars page on its website and the Web Design and Development playlist on its official YouTube channel. These videos guide users through the basic principles of UI design, UX design philosophies, and the differences between Sketch and other major UX/UI design platforms. These tools are ideal for students just entering the web design field as they are built to give new users the necessary background training in advance of more traditional skills instruction. Noble also offers students blog posts, interviews, and other articles through the Sketch tag on its official blog.

Sketch also offers free tutorials through its website. These micro tutorials and blog posts help familiarize users with the Sketch interface and set them up to begin designing their first UI project. These tutorials are ideal for students who aren’t familiar with navigating design interfaces or aren’t sure what kinds of projects Sketch is optimized to build.

Free course options are also available through other service providers, such as General Assembly and Udemy. 

Community Resources

Sketch boasts over 700 hundred Sketch Extensions for customizing a user’s experience. These resources are free, community-driven tools that allow users to find better ways to learn Sketch, familiarize themselves with the interface, and become more comfortable with the system. While users should have a basic understanding of Sketch before diving into these free community resources, they are a tremendous help for Sketch users learning and practicing the program. 

Key Insights

• Sketch is a UX/UI design tool that allows Web Designers to create layouts and build working, interactive prototypes for testing and iteration.
• Many free training resources are available to familiarize users with Sketch.
• Noble and Sketch offer free tutorials, sample projects, and articles that new Sketch users can utilize to help them become familiar with the program.
• Sketch also has a deep library of free resources and add-ons that let users customize their experience and make the program easier to learn.
• Once a user has taken advantage of these free resources, Noble offers a wide variety of comprehensive and professional Sketch training courses.

Learn Sketch with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

Students looking to master Sketch may wish to consider any Sketch classes and bootcamps offered through Noble Desktop. These classes, which range from short seminars offering students a basic understanding of Sketch to in-depth career skills training courses, give students the tools they need to use Sketch in their personal and professional lives. These courses are available in person at Noble’s Manhattan campus or live online from anywhere in the United States. Courses are taught by experts with whom students can interface directly, and class sizes are kept small, even online. So, students can ask questions and receive timely, personalized feedback on their work. Plus, courses include a one-year free retake option. Students can repeat the course to review a lesson that gave them trouble, attend a seminar they missed, or just get more hands-on practice with Sketch.

Students seeking in-depth training in Sketch should consider Noble’s Sketch Bootcamp. This intensive skills training course teaches students to use the basic and advanced features of Sketch, such as its layout design tools, interactive elements, and prototyping capabilities. Students get hands-on instruction in building web layouts using text, shapes, and images, all built with Sketch’s vector graphics illustration tools. They then learn how to optimize those illustrations for web and mobile viewing, including Hi-res and Retina displays. Finally, students receive hands-on training in using Sketch symbols, including how to override symbol functions to make them work differently and how to alter their functions universally after they have been implemented.

Noble also offers Sketch training as part of its immersive, career-focused UX & UI Design Certificate program. This course is designed to help aspiring Web and user experience (UX) Designers receive comprehensive career training and mentorship. Students learn to use an array of design tools, including Sketch, Figma, and Adobe XD, and receive hands-on training by working through practical exercises that reflect the work they will do professionally. Students also learn the best practices of UX design and how to best conduct user research and analysis. By the end of the course, students get the opportunity to have one-on-one career mentorship discussions with trained experts in the field of UX/UI design, and they will have built a sample design portfolio to take with them into the job market.