What is Sketch? Features and importance of Sketch in design industry

In the graphic design industry, choosing the right tool can greatly affect the quality and progress of work. Sketch is a graphic design software that is favored by many professional designers thanks to its flexibility and special features. With the ability to create sophisticated designs, Sketch not only saves time but also improves work efficiency. In this article, Sadesign will help you better understand Sketch, as well as the importance of this software in the creative and design process.

1. What is Sketch?

Sketch is a specialized graphic design software, developed by Bohemian Coding and first launched in 2010. This software was built with the goal of making user interface (UI), user experience (UX) and web design easier than ever. Thanks to its simple interface and powerful features, Sketch has quickly become an indispensable tool in the work of designers.

Unlike traditional graphic design software like Photoshop, Sketch focuses on interface design and creating design products that are easily editable and interactive. It supports the creation of vector drawings, interface graphics, and can easily export HTML, CSS or SVG files.

2. Sketch Classification in Graphic Design

Using sketching methods is an indispensable part of helping designers visualize ideas and realize their works. Different types of sketches, including Croquis, Pochade and Portrait, not only bring diversity in creative styles but also are powerful tools for creating unique graphic products. Let's continue to explore in detail the types of sketches, their roles and applications in the field of graphic design.

2.1. Croquis – Quick Sketches for Inspiration

Croquis, also known as quick sketching, is a type of sketch commonly used in graphic design and art. This method allows designers to quickly express their ideas through loose and not too detailed drawings. The purpose of Croquis is to capture the overall shape and structure of an object, without focusing on perfecting every little detail.

Outstanding features of Croquis
Croquis is used in practice sessions or other situations that require quick creative thinking. Because of its quick nature, Croquis allows the designer to focus on the overall feel of the image rather than worrying about details. Artists often use Croquis to sketch people, animals, or objects to better understand proportion and structure.

Importantly, Croquis sketching does not require exact details, but rather freedom of expression and creativity. Therefore, it is an essential part of the idea development process, especially when designing logos, character models or advertising graphics.

The Importance of Croquis in Graphic Design
One of the factors that makes Croquis successful in graphic design is its ability to support the rapid capture of initial ideas. This method not only familiarizes designers with basic shapes, but also allows them to edit, change or expand on ideas without being limited by formal rules or detailed requirements.

In addition, Croquis also helps to train the ability to observe and react flexibly to elements in space. This is extremely important when working in a creative environment where changes can occur continuously.

2.2. Pochade – Sketching to Experiment with Color and Light

Pochade is a type of sketch used by graphic designers to experiment with color and lighting in their work. Unlike Croquis, Pochade requires more investment in terms of detail and color. However, Pochade is still flexible and not as sophisticated as finished works.

Pochade making process
When making a Pochade, the designer usually chooses a simple subject as a basis for experimentation. Colors and lighting are quickly demonstrated, with the aim of studying the combination and effects of light on objects. The use of strong colors and interesting lighting effects makes Pochade an extremely useful tool in preparing for complex design projects.

Applications of Pochade in graphic design
Pochade is not only used in painting but also plays an important role in graphic design. Designers use Pochade to determine the overall tone and feel of a project, then adjust the details to match the original idea. It is often used in developing illustrations, web design projects, or creating attractive advertising images.

With Pochade, designers can easily experiment with color schemes and how light reflects, which gives them an overview and makes it easier to come to a final decision.

2.3. Portrait – Detailed Portrait Sketch

Portrait is a more detailed and detailed type of sketch than Croquis and Pochade. This method is mainly used for portraiture, with meticulous details and focus on proportions, shapes and prominent features of the face.

Portrait sketches can be used to create portraits of characters in graphic design projects. When making a Portrait sketch, the designer needs to pay attention to facial features, lines, and proportions between parts such as eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. This not only helps create a realistic picture but also shows the character's emotions and personality.

Artists and graphic designers use Portrait sketching to create more precise and detailed images, especially in projects that require high precision and attention to detail, such as book illustration, game character design, or character modeling for advertising.

3. The Importance of Sketch in Graphic Design

3.1. Improve work efficiency

Sketch is designed to save time and improve the productivity of designers. One of the biggest advantages of this software is the optimization of the workflow. Sketch provides powerful vector drawing tools, helping designers create high-precision designs without the image quality issues that come with working with raster software.

With features like artboards, symbols, and shared styles, Sketch allows designers to easily create complete interfaces without having to start from scratch each time. This saves time during design and revision, and helps design products achieve aesthetic consistency.

3.2. Easy sharing and collaboration

In the modern workplace, collaboration and sharing of designs among team members is essential. Sketch understands this and has integrated tools to support online sharing and collaboration. Through Sketch’s cloud feature, designers can easily share their designs with colleagues, partners or customers.

Team members can comment, edit, and track the progress of design projects conveniently. This not only increases efficiency in the work process, but also ensures that all members can keep up with changes and contribute new ideas.

3.3. Extension features and plugin support

One of the big reasons why Sketch is a top choice for many designers is its extensibility and plugin support. Sketch offers a rich plugin ecosystem, allowing users to install and use additional tools that enhance the software's features.

These plugins can support a variety of purposes, from creating special effects, supporting device compatibility testing, to helping manage large design projects. Thanks to this extensive feature set, Sketch becomes a flexible and versatile tool, meeting the design needs of creators in many different fields.

3.4. Simple and easy to use interface

One of the main reasons why Sketch has become so popular in the design community is its intuitive and easy-to-use user interface. From the very first use, users can quickly get acquainted with the software’s tools and features without feeling overwhelmed.

Sketch's interface is optimized for designing user interfaces and graphic elements. This makes it easy for designers to find and use the tools they need to create complete design products, from logos to websites to mobile apps.

3.5. Compatibility with other tools

Designers often have to work with multiple tools during the design process. Sketch understands this and has built-in a variety of file import and export features. Sketch can export files in a variety of formats, from PNG, JPG, SVG to PDF and even HTML and CSS source files.

This makes it easy for designers to switch between different design software without losing data or compromising quality. Sketch’s high compatibility also makes it easier to integrate with other software and tools in the design process.

4. Outstanding features of Sketch

4.1. Artboards

Artboards are one of Sketch’s standout features, allowing designers to create multiple workspaces within the same project. This increases flexibility in the design process, as a designer can easily create multiple versions of a design for a project without having to open multiple files.

4.2. Symbols

Symbols in Sketch are a feature that helps designers reuse design elements quickly and efficiently. Instead of having to redesign the same elements multiple times, designers can simply create a symbol and reuse it in multiple places in the design. This not only saves time but also ensures consistency across the entire project.

4.3. Shared Styles

With Shared Styles, Sketch allows users to save design styles (such as colors, fonts, and effects) for reuse across multiple locations in a project. This helps ensure that all design elements follow a consistent color and style system, and makes it easy to change the overall style of an entire design when needed.

4.5. Vector Editing

Vector editing is one of the most fundamental and important features of Sketch. Thanks to its powerful vector drawing engine, Sketch allows designers to create sharp and scalable graphics without the fear of pixelation. This is important when designing user interfaces and graphic elements that need to be clear and precise.

5. How to learn Sketch most effectively?

To become a professional designer, learning sketch is an indispensable factor. Unlike other complex design techniques, learning sketch does not require you to have a solid foundation in technology, but only requires perseverance and creativity. Below are some methods and tips to help you learn sketch effectively.

5.1. Start with the Basics

One of the most important things when learning to sketch is understanding the basics like proportion, geometry, lighting, and shading. Beginner designers can practice by drawing simple shapes like squares, circles, and triangles to get familiar with space division and proportion. Once you have mastered the basic shapes, you can move on to sketching more complex objects.

5.2. Daily Practice

Like any skill, practice is very important in learning sketching. Spend at least 30 minutes a day sketching whatever you see around you. This will help you practice your observation skills and quick reflexes in creating sketches.

5.3. Using Support Tools

While freehand sketching can be done by hand, there are now many tools available to help you learn sketching more effectively. Design software such as Adobe Illustrator, Sketch, or Procreate can help you create smoother, more precise digital sketches. Becoming familiar with these tools will expand your creativity and productivity.

5.4. Learn From the Masters

Learning from design professionals can be a valuable experience. You can take classes, watch tutorials, or simply study the work of famous designers. This will not only help you learn techniques but also help you develop your own design style.

5.5. Project-Specific Practice

The best way to learn sketching is to apply it to real projects. You can try redrawing famous designs, sketching logos, posters, or any other product that interests you. Practicing on real projects will help you develop the ability to create sketches quickly and accurately.

6. Conclusion

The above article has analyzed the outstanding features of Sketch and its importance in the graphic design industry, helping readers have an overview of this software and the benefits it brings. Sketch is an indispensable tool for graphic designers, especially in the fields of UI/UX design and web design. With a simple interface, powerful features and high compatibility with other tools, Sketch helps increase work efficiency and optimize the design process. 

Using Sketch not only saves time but also helps designers create quality design products that meet the increasing demands of the market. If you are a designer, getting familiar with and mastering Sketch will open up many new opportunities in your work. With its superior features and flexibility in the design process, Sketch is a tool that every graphic designer should equip themselves with.