As a Designer specializing in UI/UX, I am always looking for new tools and tricks to help streamline and increase my workflow. There are a vast amount of great plugins to help with everything from image optimization, to generating android and iOS assets. While all of those resources are great and extremely helpful, almost none of them take a stab at the workhorse of a process…the actual design software. That realm has been basically controlled and dominated by Adobe Creative Suite. That all changed for me after using a free trial of Sketch 3 by Bohemian Coding.

Sketch is an extremely focused vector-based design program created with UI design in mind. It eliminates all of the unnecessary (and in my case never used) functionality built into programs such as Illustrator and Photoshop. The interface of Sketch is very straight forward and user-friendly. There are tons of great features I could ramble about, but I want to highlight the ones that made me true believer.

1. Color Picker

Seriously, why does every color picker not work like this? It just makes so much sense and will make going back to using an Adobe based color picker feel like switching back to a vhs tape from blu-ray.

2. Exporting Assets

Sketch makes it extremely easy to export assets/artboards at 1x,2x,3x,and even 20x if your heart so desires. There are also great plugins for generating Android assets as well, which leads me to my next feature.

3. Sketch App Sources – sketchappsources.com

The holy grail of plugins, vector graphics, and UI elements that will change your life. Plugins such as a Content Generator, which will randomly select stock photos, generate names and addresses, and generate dummy text have made me depressed over the hours of life wasted spent saving stock photos to throw into a Photoshop mockup.

4. Exporting CSS Styles

Now I know plugins like this exist for programs like Photoshop and Illustrator…but Sketch makes it so damn easy to create style guides when it comes to brining those beautiful mockups to life.

5. Community

Tons of talented designers creating amazing graphic assets to use for free and the developers at Sketch are constantly adding new features that make everything work faster and smoother.

So in the words of the late great Notorious B.I.G. “If you don’t know…now you know”. There are way more great features this program offers and more are being added regularly. Hopefully I have enlightened you to stray from your Adobe filled life and give it a try. C’mon…all the cool kids are doing it.