Sketch Video Tutorials

Sketch is a versatile macOS design tool for creating vibrant and interactive UX/UI designs and web layouts. Using Sketch’s powerful vector graphics design tools, users can build layouts optimized for any screen size. Users can add text, graphics, and images to their designs and produce interactive prototypes of their interfaces for testing and demonstration. Watching video tutorials online is a popular method of learning Sketch. Video tutorials can be helpful for new students who want to learn at their own pace and control the structure of their lessons at little to no cost. Online tutorials also allow students the freedom to experiment with different learning styles. This article will cover a range of videos, including what they teach and where to find them.

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.

Why Are Video Tutorials Helpful When Learning Sketch?

Video tutorials are a helpful learning method for many reasons. Some students benefit from the ability to control their learning pace. Video tutorials allow students to pause and rewind the instruction whenever needed, letting them review a problematic concept, hear an explanation again, or simply stop the video when life gets in the way. Video tutorials are also great for students who can’t commit to a regularly scheduled online training session.

Additionally, video tutorials have the advantage of letting students control the direction of their training. Rather than following a set path, students can move between videos at will. Once one video has concluded, they can opt to watch the following video in sequence or move on to something else entirely. They can immediately move on to targeted lessons if a particular tool is interesting or giving them trouble. This level of freedom can be ideal for students looking to learn particular skills using Sketch.

Finally, since video tutorials are often free (or relatively inexpensive), there is little cost for switching to a different video series if the current one isn’t working out. Many free video tutorials and resources are available, so if one particular creator or school isn’t working out for a student, they can quickly shift to a different channel or producer. They don’t even need to abandon the old video completely. They can, instead, watch multiple videos at different times to help them better understand how to use Sketch.

Types of Sketch Videos

Different types of Sketch video tutorials are available. Some videos are more extended, lecture-oriented lessons replicating the feel of focused live training. Some are quick, concise skills overviews designed to provide micro-lessons in specific skills. Others are process-oriented videos that walk users through a single project.

Noble offers long, lecture-style 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.

Other videos, like those offered by Sketch, are focused, single-topic tutorials and are often only a few minutes long. These videos are ideal for students with limited study time or those who would benefit from a training regimen that gives them more control over the learning direction. These videos often recommend a specific viewing order. However, once students are comfortable with Sketch fundamentals, they can learn in whatever order they choose.

Finally, process-oriented videos aren’t framed explicitly as tutorials but are instead project walk-throughs. These videos guide users through the steps of seeing a Sketch design from inception to completion and are ideal for students who know Sketch basics and prefer practical examples to lectures.

Why Learn Sketch?

Web Designers looking to build interactive prototypes of their layouts will need to learn a user interface (UI) tool to create their designs. Sketch is ideal for experienced designers and novices who aspire to become Web Designers. It is an accessible, customizable program that lets users build unique and functional prototypes using an array of tools. Sketch symbols enable users to create a customized collection of reusable interactive assets. And Sketch’s website boasts approximately six thousand add-ons and plug-ins for the program, with more being added daily.

Additionally, even though Sketch is among the older dedicated UI design tools on the market, it is constantly updated with new features and functionality. So, a growing number of designers are picking up Sketch, particularly now that it has more robust collaboration features. Sketch is among the more cost-effective tools relative to its market share and features list, making it ideal for small teams working on individual projects or for individual users hoping to break into the world of web design. Finally, because Sketch is native to macOS, it is an excellent skill for aspiring Web Designers who are mac users since they will have a leg up with the program’s features and tools.

Read more about why you should learn Sketch. 

How Difficult is It to Learn Sketch?

Sketch is an accessible program that is reasonably easy for new users to become familiar with and use. Sketch has a lightweight interface, and new users will find themselves able to experiment with designs almost immediately. However, many of the unique features of Sketch will require significantly more training to optimize, particularly the Sketch symbols. The program is, therefore, ideal for beginners experimenting with a user interface (UI) program and aspiring Web Designers looking to learn a program that they can use professionally.

There are no formal prerequisites to learning Sketch. However, users should be familiar with macOS and the basic philosophies of UI design if they hope to use the program professionally. Since Sketch is only available on macOS devices, users must be sure that their device is compatible. Additionally, as a UI design program, a background in user experience (UX) design is not required but is strongly encouraged.

Sketch is available for users and teams for a monthly subscription fee of $9 per editor. Yearly subscriptions are also available for $99 per person. New users can take advantage of a 30-day free trial of the program. Large organizations (those with more than twenty-five editors) can contact Sketch to get a quote on the cost of a Sketch Business subscription.

Read about how difficult it is to learn Sketch.

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.