As we get near the top of the 12 months, we’re reflecting on a number of the options we’ve shipped in 2024 — and what’s to return in 2025. This 12 months has been actually particular for us, we’ve been in a position to work and ship long-awaited updates, whereas laying the groundwork for what’s subsequent. There’s loads to cowl, so let’s soar proper in!
This 12 months we centered on one thing a lot of you had been asking for: enhancing our prototyping expertise. Because of our new prototype participant, which we launched earlier within the 12 months, we’ve lastly been in a position to ship instruments that considerably enhance the way you create and share prototypes in Sketch.
In our newest launch, we shared Sensible Animate — a brand new method so as to add animations to your prototypes and make them extra reasonable. Sensible Animate robotically animates adjustments within the place, dimension, rotation and form of layers with matching names and contains period and easing controls that can assist you make interactions really feel precisely such as you need them to. And since an image is price a thousand phrases, we’ve put collectively a number of examples so you may uncover alternative ways Sensible Animate can be just right for you.
Earlier within the 12 months, we added hover and press interactions alongside the traditional faucet/click on, providing you with much more methods to set off your overlays. We additionally made it attainable to point out or cover particular layers, teams or Symbols with customized layer visibility and added the choice to toggle a layer’s visibility on click on in prototypes — nice for issues like checkboxes or toggle switches.
We additionally added scroll areas inside Artboards, so you can also make your prototypes scroll in any course — a game-changer for issues like rows or maps.
And in terms of sharing prototypes, we’ve additionally labored on a number of enhancements to assist preserve suggestions extra centered and arranged. Now you can share a client-friendly view with out toolbars and navigation, and add or learn feedback instantly on prototypes, protecting every little thing in a single place and making it even simpler to motion or talk about suggestions.
Supporting your workflow with Command Bar and Minimap
Alongside prototyping updates, this 12 months we shipped two new options to make your workflow quicker and extra environment friendly: Command Bar and a Minimap. The Command Bar provides you a fast solution to discover and run any motion in Sketch by urgent ⌘Ok — this contains any motion you’d usually discover within the menu bar or activate with a shortcut (together with any that come from plugins). Plus, it learns your preferences over time and prioritizes outcomes accordingly, making it much more handy.
The Command Bar started as a pet undertaking began outdoors of our regular undertaking time. Sketch has tons of performance, and we needed a solution to extra shortly floor all these actions. We had a proof of idea working in a few weeks, after which over time we polished it into what you see at present. I and others within the workforce have at all times had a gentle spot for Mac launcher apps, or for Mac apps that embody good in-app “command bars,” so bringing the Command Bar to Sketch was a particular undertaking for us.
— Alasdair Baxter, Mac Developer
The Minimap, which additionally began as a aspect undertaking, provides you an summary of your Canvas, making it simpler to visualise giant paperwork, navigate them and at all times know the place you might be within the design. It’s a easy solution to see your entire Canvas at a look and shortly soar to particular elements of the design.
An internet app UI refresh and a greater handoff expertise
Over on the internet app, we centered on making the expertise higher by means of an enormous UI redesign. Our objective has been to place the design within the heart, scale back noise and make navigating the net app really feel much less overwhelming. We’ve redesigned the sidebar to offer the total Canvas view extra space, improved the notifications view that can assist you keep updated along with your Workspace paperwork, and simplified the knowledge hierarchy — amongst many different particulars.
The hassle to replace the net app’s UI began as a fast train to match the net app design with the Mac app and the advertising website. Nevertheless, it shortly advanced into a possibility to rethink the general expertise together with long-pending concepts and enhancements whereas protecting an experimental mindset.
We additionally put some focus again on the handoff expertise, making it simpler for builders to seize what they want. You not have to arrange exports within the Mac app first — builders can now simply seize any layer, in any format, instantly. We’ve additionally expanded Design Token exports to incorporate Textual content and Layer Types, making it even simpler to obtain your design tokens or share them by way of hyperlink. To wrap all of it up, inspecting a design now occurs in full Canvas view, which supplies builders all of the context to know how issues work within the design.
Engaged on Design Token exports has been a private spotlight for me. It’s not a flashy, headline-grabbing function that screams, “Have a look at this large launch!” however it’s genuinely helpful and a time saver. Earlier than this enchancment, syncing colours between our design system and the TypeScript codebase was a guide, tedious course of that may result in oversights and delays. We realized we may enhance this ache level and provide you with an answer that may each enhance our inside workflow and assist prospects on the similar time.
— Inês Carvalho, Entrance-end developer
And that’s not all…
These are simply a number of the highlights we’ve shipped this 12 months, however there’s loads extra we’ve labored on. Now you can use Foresight when tidying your layers, select which Artboards to export as PDFs, use Shade Variables in gradients, simply swap Libraries or use Sketch in Spanish. And for those who’re a part of our Marketing strategy, we’ve launched the choice to archive tasks and assign pre-made teams to higher handle doc entry. Check out sketch.com/updates for the whole checklist or for those who’re into the nitty gritty, verify the Mac app launch notes.
Sketch in 2025: what’s subsequent
Trying forward on the new 12 months, there’s loads to be enthusiastic about. Whereas we are able to’t share all the small print simply but, right here’s what we can say about our subsequent large launch of the 12 months.
Beginning with some of the requested options: we’re bringing an auto structure/flexbox-like function to Sketch. Head over to the group discussion board to look at product supervisor, Paulo Pereira, run you thru how issues are shaping up. As a part of this undertaking, we’re evolving Artboards to be extra versatile and enable you do extra with fewer layers. Artboards will quickly be nestable containers with full styling and structure assist — amongst loads of different enhancements to layer styling.
We’re additionally making Command Bar even higher, including new actions and making it attainable to insert and exchange Parts right away — and rather more. And one final thing earlier than we wrap up, we’re engaged on nestable Tasks, together with the choice to archive particular person paperwork, that can assist you preserve your Workspace much more organized.
Check out sketch.com/roadmap to view every little thing we’re exploring and dealing on proper now.
As soon as once more, thanks for being by our aspect for an additional 12 months. This 12 months we launched model 100, a milestone we couldn’t have reached with out your assist. We really feel so proud and honored that you simply select Sketch to make your tasks come to life. And a particular shoutout to everybody over on the group discussion board giving suggestions and cheering us alongside the way in which. Right here’s to a different 12 months collectively!
