8

Is using Sketch just a trend?

over 9 years ago from , UI Designer

Because that's how it feels. I appreciate the effort the guys at Bohemian Coding are putting into building a better tool for UI Designers, but I think we need to do more than just placing buttons and text.

Many people say Sketch is improving their workflow. Good for you. Now I'm going to let you know why it doesn't improve my workflow and I'm sure a lot more people feel the same.

First of all, where I work, I do more than web design. I need to provide content for the websites I design. That means I need to create animations or manipulate images.

There's nothing Sketch does that PS can't in terms of "designing". Multiple artboards and asset exporting is a nice touch, but I've been living without it and it doesn't bother me. Yeah, symbols are nice too, but I don't need them neither. So why using Sketch if PS works better for me?

I'm not trying to convince anyone to stop using Sketch, but there are a lot of Sketch users that try to convince me to stop using Photoshop and they're starting to sound like the Jehova witnesses of web design. In the end, the product you build doesn't say "Made in X Software", so who cares?

Use whatever software improves your workflow, because, that's the most important thing. Of course, with nowadays trends of creating flat designs in order to hunt likes on Dribbble, you can use MS Paint as well, so why using PS when you have lighter alternatives?

So all the best and keep using what you're using if it suits your needs! Forget about what "popular" designers say to use. You're not a pixel pusher.

79 comments

  • César MigueláñezCésar Migueláñez, over 9 years ago

    Photoshop gets in my way and Sketch doesn't. As simple as that.

    40 points
  • anthony thomasanthony thomas, over 9 years ago (edited over 9 years ago )

    Asking people to stop "imposing" Sketch on you is like asking all television outlets to stop airing a certain commercial. Imploring such a request is naive and weak.

    Of course people have the choice to use what software they want. But they also have the choice to advocate what software they like. So if you like PS, feel free to shout out loud about it. Doesn't mean everyone will listen, but you have the freedom to speak, just like people have the freedom to speak about Sketch.

    If you're bothered that people are speaking so highly of Sketch, that just shows insecurity and weakness in your current beliefs and opinions. When people use Sketch they are passionate about it and believe that advocating it can help others design better. You can disagree. But to react emotionally and create a thread on DN where you complain about people evangelizing Sketch shows weakness and inexperience.

    I would suggest you to stop caring about what others think and say. Believe in your own opinions and think for yourself. And above all, stop whining and complaining. Only weak men do that.

    29 points
  • Ian GoodeIan Goode, over 9 years ago (edited over 9 years ago )

    Person 1: "Hey I use Sketch because it's great with X and Y in my own workflow, it's so much better than Photoshop"

    Person 2: "Hey I use Photoshop because it's great with Y and Z in my own workflow, it's so much better than Sketch."

    20 points
  • Daniel FoscoDaniel Fosco, over 9 years ago

    Stop with the pixel pusher thing, kid.

    20 points
  • Tianlu XueTianlu Xue, over 9 years ago

    It's not just a trend. It is a trend though.

    14 points
  • Phil OakleyPhil Oakley, over 9 years ago

    For me, Photoshop's workflow is so convoluted - Sketch is a nice breath of fresh air. Plus the plugins are really great - content generator is fantastic.

    You make some good points but you're being a bit arrogant while making those points - a bit passive aggressive.

    8 points
    • Cosmin NegoitaCosmin Negoita, over 9 years ago

      I am arrogant and a bit more than passive aggressive, that's true. But that's because people that try to impose using something.

      Sketch works great for you? That's great. I see posts like "Why I use Sketch" and I can respect that but when I see "Why you should use Sketch", that's when I get pretty angry.

      0 points
      • Bruce Vang, over 9 years ago

        I haven't see any Sketch posts that are overly aggressive. Would you post some of them?

        Why be upset about the community when they are excited about a new tool? They aren't saying your workflow is wrong. They are just saying, "Hey! We've been using PS for 10+ years. Here's a new tool that finally does some things better. Check it out."

        4 points
      • Luke SeeleyLuke Seeley, over 9 years ago

        Some examples of these aggressive posts would've been helpful. I seem to only remember reading positive, passionate posts about the benefits of Sketch.

        1 point
      • Simon BanyardSimon Banyard, over 9 years ago (edited over 9 years ago )

        They are not trying to impose anything on you. Why not do something constructive and write "Why you shouldn't use Sketch and use $mySoftwareOfPreference"?

        0 points
  • Sallar KaboliSallar Kaboli, over 9 years ago

    Photoshop costs a lot. Sketch doesn’t. Also, sketch is vector based and more suitable to my needs as web designer/developer. I use SVG in my designs, converting photoshop shapes to SVG is a pain the ass but in Sketch it’s just a click away. So Sketch fits my needs (and It’s also cheaper than Illustrator) thats why I use it. Not because it’s trendy. No one cares what app I use.

    8 points
  • Sam MularczykSam Mularczyk, over 9 years ago

    Sketch is the closest thing to a Fireworks replacement we'll ever get. It's not going to overtake Photoshop in any sense, but the workflow is unbeatable for UI design.

    Being able to create raster graphics in a fully-vector environment is something that nothing else (except FW) can provide.

    7 points
  • barry saundersbarry saunders, over 9 years ago

    EMACS SUX VIM RULES PC SUX MAC RULES PHOTOSHOP SUX FIREWORKS RULES INDESIGN SUX QUARK RULES FEDORA SUX DEBIAN RULES OBJECT ORIENTED PROGRAMMING SUX LISP RULES AVID SUX FINAL CUT RULES

    If you ever get beyond being a junior designer, you'll realise that no one tool is perfect, as a professional you need to be able to use every tool you come across, that design is a skill, not photoshop, and a talented designer can use any software to make something beautiful.

    And you'll learn the best designers listen and think for a long time before opening their yap.

    6 points
  • Keaton TaylorKeaton Taylor, over 9 years ago

    fart sound.

    6 points
  • Eric PrietoEric Prieto, over 9 years ago

    I design only using HTML and CSS because I'm a lot faster that way... Am I bad person?

    6 points
  • Saurabh M, over 9 years ago

    If you get offended everytime someone on the Internet wants to tell you what you should be doing instead, you're going to have a very angry life.

    5 points
  • Henri LirianiHenri Liriani, over 9 years ago (edited over 9 years ago )

    Calling Photoshop slow and bloated all the time isn't completely innocent when I spend 6 hrs / day in it. If you put Sketch on a pedestal as the best tool, you should recognize that you've challenged a notion and prepare for disagreement.

    Sketch is simpler, and may be easier to learn, but Photoshop's flexibility, scope, and discrete, customizable UI make it the more powerful tool.

    If you don't need the power, that's fine, but calling Sketch better for its simplicity is like saying a prosumer camera like a Nikon D60 is better than a professional grade Nikon D4.

    5 points
  • Joe Blau, over 9 years ago

    People are hating on sketch like they were hating on Macs back in early-mid 2000's. It's just a tool, if it doesn't give you satisfaction in helping you accomplish your goals, then don't use it. That being said, there is a reason people are excited about the tool.

    4 points
  • Bruno BarrosBruno Barros, over 9 years ago

    The problem with Sketch is that it seems esthetically limited. While Photoshop can help you achieve an almost infinite number of esthetics at the expense of being complex, Sketch is optimized for the trendy flat esthetic. And that's all.

    We all know design trends are circular. This whole flat thing is just a 21st century emulation of the 1960s swiss design trends. I mean, this Paul Rand-y flat style will go away sometime and we'll see a comeback of the 80s gritty, dirty style. Take note on that.

    4 points
  • T LT L, over 9 years ago

    A reason why I like and use Sketch is its simplicity. I have tried to learn design using Photoshop and it didn't work very well because it is a very complex tool and it was also designed as a photo editor so I was kind of lost in it. Also I prefer vectors over bitmaps.

    Sketch is not perfect, it has bugs and weird behaviors, missing features but if you are designing flat UI and you are designing for multiple devices then it has everything what you need.

    Also people don't like monopoly that Adobe has and they want to break it. And only alternative they have is Sketch.

    So yeah, it might be a trend but it is a good trend.

    4 points
    • Cosmin NegoitaCosmin Negoita, over 9 years ago (edited over 9 years ago )

      If you do flat ui Sketch is all you need? So that's where web design got to? Flat UI? Great.

      Photoshop is cheap. Paying 50 quid a month is nothing if you really work as a designer, but if all you do is showing off on Dribbble and earning nothing, yeah, Sketch is much cheaper.

      3 points
      • T LT L, over 9 years ago

        Why would I pay 50 quid a month if Sketch has everything what I need and it suits me better than Photoshop? It is not about money. And why do you even mention that? I never said I use Sketch because it is relatively cheap.

        11 points
      • Darth BaneDarth Bane, over 9 years ago

        50 quid?? I pay £7/month for Photoshop + Lightroom on Creative Cloud.

        0 points
      • Numecca .Numecca ., over 9 years ago

        It's all flat now, man. Get used to it. My only gripe with that is that anybody can call themselves a designer and hide behind the simplicity of the trend that crushed us all.

        1 point
        • T LT L, over 9 years ago

          Designing is not only about visual aspect. It is much more than that.

          3 points
          • Numecca .Numecca ., over 9 years ago (edited over 9 years ago )

            Yes, but there is a huge difference between a person that can take a pencil and replicate a photo and person that can move shapes and text around in photoshop. You have to agree that the artist brings a differentiator to the design table.

            Not being able to use that really sucks. I'm just arguing for that. :)

            0 points
            • T LT L, over 9 years ago

              Yes, there is. But the first person is more artist than designer. To be a designer I don't think you need able to replicate a photo with a pencil. Be able to move with shapes and choose right fonts and colors and layout and combine all these things to design that is easy to use and looks great is enough to be designer.

              But of course it is just my opinion.

              1 point
        • Darth BaneDarth Bane, over 9 years ago

          You're talking about aesthetics, which is just a bi-product of design. Anyone can call themselves a designer regardless of what is trending at the moment. But a designer works underneath that trend, as it's not so much about how it looks, but rather how it works.

          2 points
      • Mattan IngramMattan Ingram, over 9 years ago

        Photoshop is made to edit photos. It's really not suited for UI/Web design. Sketch or Illustrator give you the same freedom as a designer (if you know they tools) and are much better for developers once they get used to it (or people like in my team who do both).

        Especially now that we use SVG for everything, I simply cannot use Photoshop.

        4 points
  • Jason BlockJason Block, over 9 years ago

    It's just a tool.

    3 points
  • Sean O'GradySean O'Grady, over 9 years ago (edited over 9 years ago )

    You have some good points, but also some remarkably ludicrous and misinformed ones too. I'll leave it there.

    3 points
    • Cosmin NegoitaCosmin Negoita, over 9 years ago

      The point is, designers should use whatever makes their work easier but they shouldn't try to impose others to use certain software just because they personally think X is better than Y.

      I appreciate posts like "Why I use Sketch" but not "Why you should use Sketch" or similar stuff.

      The design community is going down, mostly because of how people perceive flat design. That's why a lot of people prefer Sketch, because they don't need to do anything else than adding buttons and text, and that tbh, is sad.

      0 points
      • wojtek w.wojtek w., over 9 years ago

        So here you are in another thread bashing on Sketch, again. Nobody is forcing you to use anything. This is like Windows vs Mac all over again.

        sigh...

        8 points
        • Numecca .Numecca ., over 9 years ago

          I'm learning it so I can be hip and modern. I was super late with the whole flat thing and I feel like I lost some friends because of that. haha

          0 points
        • Numecca .Numecca ., over 9 years ago

          I'm learning Sketch so I can be hip and modern. I was super late with the whole flat thing and I feel like I might have lost some friends because of that... (sad face)

          0 points
      • Sean O'GradySean O'Grady, over 9 years ago (edited over 9 years ago )

        ...Designers should use whatever makes their work easier but they shouldn't try to impose others to use certain software just because they personally think X is better than Y.

        What designers do and what they don't is up to them. You're telling them not to recommend a certain piece of software is ridiculous. When a person recommends Sketch, they aren't imposing their opinion on people, they're giving an opinion that people can either use or not.

        I appreciate posts like "Why I use Sketch" but not "Why you should use Sketch" or similar stuff.

        You're taking the wrong message from these types of posts. Those posts have effectively the same content. You're just getting worked up over semantics.

        The design community is going down, mostly because of how people perceive flat design. That's why a lot of people prefer Sketch, because they don't need to do anything else than adding buttons and text, and that tbh, is sad.

        I have to stop you here. The "Design Community" is so vast & a so diverse that when you shoehorn an entire subset of people into just a group of sheep following the rest of the herd, that is just downright ignorant.

        The design community only "goes down" when people like you choose to ignore the good of an app like Sketch when they try to change the status quo.

        9 points
      • Carolann Merchant, over 9 years ago

        I'm interested in your statement "The design community is going down..."

        And what that has to do with flat design.

        I know a lot of people who use sketch, but it's mostly designers who do a lot of design beyond just the visual design of what they're producing.

        0 points
      • Jonas Maaløe, over 9 years ago

        they don't need to do anything else than adding buttons and text, and that tbh, is sad.

        RIP design community

        11 points
  • Ric FurnessRic Furness, over 9 years ago

    Whilst watching some of Brandon Jacoby's redesign screencast (where, surprise surprise, Sketch is used), I stumbled across the following comment:

    Oh

    Whilst true (and Brandon knows this, but opted to use Sketch), what happened to your suggestion of "keep using what you're using if it suits your needs", Cosmin?

    It seems like you're developing a somewhat unhealthy obsession of Sketch bashing. I'd love to know the root of that.

    2 points
    • David DarnesDavid Darnes, over 9 years ago

      Sounds like a "benefit of hindsight" comment. Thats an easy thing to say when seeing a simple site, getting to that point is the difficult part. Which is probably why they opted to use Sketch.

      1 point
  • Stephen BolenStephen Bolen, over 9 years ago

    I'd be more worried if people were pushing Pixelmator as a legit Photoshop competitor. Thankfully, we're clean.

    I like Sketch a lot for quick wireframes. I wouldn't design app icons or full-on screens for work with it, but I have kicked around a design challenge where it's the only app I use to design an iOS app UI, just to see how far I can go.

    I still use Illustrator & Photoshop a lot, and having Sketch in the toolbox is nice.

    2 points
    • Marc EdwardsMarc Edwards, over 9 years ago

      I still use Illustrator & Photoshop a lot, and having Sketch in the toolbox is nice.

      Yep. They’re not mutually exclusive. You can use many things, if you want.

      1 point
  • Diego LafuenteDiego Lafuente, over 9 years ago

    Photoshop is slow.

    Photoshop costs more money than Sketch.

    Photoshop is not focused on UI/UX, it's focused on everything.

    Photoshop files are huge.

    2 points
    • Marc EdwardsMarc Edwards, over 9 years ago

      Photoshop is slow

      Can you please provide some more information for this? There’s many workflows I consider to be slow in Photoshop*, but I have to say that it handles massive documents very well. I haven’t seen anything else perform as well with 1000+ layers. Not even close.

      *Like changing a colour in a gradient: Double click layer thumbnail, click gradient to edit, click colour, edit colour (hopefully you can still see your artwork), ok, ok, ok to accept changes. Far from ideal! :D

      Photoshop files are huge

      Yeah, I wish there was an option to not save flattened bitmap versions of each layer within PSDs. They’d be tiny without it.

      0 points
      • Diego LafuenteDiego Lafuente, over 9 years ago (edited over 9 years ago )

        Well, Photoshop is very slow. Load up time is higher than anything else. Loading up a 150MB PSD is a problem too. I have a good computer, a decent iMac with lots of mem and SSD disks and PS is slow. Saving big files also is slow process, each time I saved some jobs at least 10 second writing was mandatory, same with illustrator.

        I use them anyways. I never ditch something. Illustrator is better at drawing. Their system is near perfect.

        0 points
        • Marc EdwardsMarc Edwards, over 9 years ago

          Oh yep, I definitely agree with that. I really do find Photoshop and Illustrator handle massive documents well though. They’re very well battle tested.

          1 point
  • Dusan SubaleeDusan Subalee, over 9 years ago

    I really liked the comment which stated: "It's not just a trend, though it is a trend."

    Sketch is actually one of the reasons (along with pixelmator etc.) why I'm switching to mac platform, action that I have been considering for a few years.

    The sketch to me seems (I have not tried it yet) to be a great tool for me aimed at at a more specific projects than photoshop.

    The biggest problem for me with photoshop is that it's pricey whether you like it or not. Firstly I'm a student and there's no way in hell I'm paying 50 euros a month for CC. Secondly photoshop has become a standard in this industry and I just despise this with all my being. Why? Well how are you supposed to learn to use the "standardized" tools when you have no job, no income? That's why I think the reign of adobe should end.

    I'm definitely able to get 80 Euros and pay ONCE for a product (or whatever the price of sketch is) and get a LEGAL copy which can't be said for adobe products

    //I don't know that much about adobe's pricing & subscription system so maybe I got something wrong, but this is the way I see it and I feel like that is not my fault but the failing marketing of adobe.

    1 point
  • Dorin FrunzeteDorin Frunzete, 8 years ago

    Very good point of view... People run like sheeps! :D

    0 points
  • Jason KirtleyJason Kirtley, over 9 years ago (edited over 9 years ago )

    A piece of software is a tool. Like walking into a shed or a workshop, use what tool that helps you get the job done quickest/best be it photoshop or sketch.

    0 points
  • Account deleted over 9 years ago

    Adobe is developing a 'Sketch Killer' app right now and yes, sketch is a trend. It is going to die when the 'flat design' becomes old and bland. It's really hard to make something other then flat in sketch.

    And the bugs. Countless, never-fixed bugs.

    0 points
  • 1 21 2, over 9 years ago

    I see Sketch more as a replacement for Fireworks, why everybody is replacing Photoshop and Illustrator with Sketch is beyond me - they shouldn't have been using Photoshop for UI/web anyway

    0 points
  • Luca Candela, over 9 years ago

    Sketch is a conceptual step in the right direction but it gets things wrong more than it gets them right.

    The things that make sketch a poor fit for my workflow are:

    1. very poor vector tools, most complex operations are convoluted or impossible, while Illustrator is much quicker and more precise.

    2. boolean operations are a sad joke, and buggy too.

    3. generalized unreliability, this is a big thing.

    4. file format not friendly with dropbox

    5. symbols are too limited and get in the way more than they help.

    6. Sketch is not "layout aware" which is a big deal for 99% of all the designs I do lately.

    I wish them well, but I honestly think Bohemian is out of their depth and lacks the talent to provide a real professional design tool.

    0 points
  • Simon BanyardSimon Banyard, over 9 years ago

    Again with this?

    0 points
  • Nathan NNathan N, over 9 years ago

    I don't think so... There are a lot of really passionate users (I myself haven't used it yet) building incredible plugins which emulate all of the things you can do in Ps/Ai. As long as that keeps happening I don't see Sketch going away any time soon.

    0 points
  • Luke SeeleyLuke Seeley, over 9 years ago

    I don't see much of an argument for Sketch being a trend or not. In fact, by concluding that people should "keep using what [they're] using if it suits [their] needs", you're not really arguing anything at all.

    0 points
  • Account deleted over 9 years ago (edited over 9 years ago )

    I like how people assume we are all web designers here.

    Tried Sketch, don't care for it. End of story for me.

    Also, PS does support vector objects. Where did that come from?

    0 points
  • Joseph LeeJoseph Lee, over 9 years ago

    I don't think people are trying to push that 'Sketch 3 replaces PS 100%'. They're just simply sharing that for most of their day-to-day work, Sketch is a much better/faster tool for getting things done.

    I use Sketch but still have times when I switch over to PS for image tweaking etc. Just use whatever you need to get your work done and stop worrying about what other people say. Simple as that.

    0 points
  • David DarnesDavid Darnes, over 9 years ago

    I think the title to this is misleading, this isn't about it being a 'trend'. You're more pointing out why its not capable for your day to day work. This makes a lot of sense, many designers working in an agency have to flip from project to project and the easiest and most versatile package(s) for this is the Adobe Creative Suite.

    However, there are also many designers that solely focus on UI design, web design and alike. This is where Sketch is mostly nailing it. I say mostly, I have heard a few bugs here and there with it. Apart from that is seems pretty awesome.

    I'm currently using Photoshop at work but using Sketch 2 at home. What I would like to do is switch out Photoshop for Sketch 3 and back it up with Pixelmator. Anyone else using this combo? Seems like a good combination if you're a web designer.

    0 points
    • Marc EdwardsMarc Edwards, over 9 years ago

      What I would like to do is switch out Photoshop for Sketch 3 and back it up with Pixelmator. Anyone else using this combo?

      It may be worth trying Acorn as well. I really like it. I don’t think it has as many features as Pixelmator, but I tend to prefer Acorns UI and workflows better (I bought them both anyway!).

      0 points
      • David DarnesDavid Darnes, over 9 years ago

        Acorn looks pretty cool, almost exactly the same as Pixelmator. A quick look at the App Store reviews though and it seems Acorn still has some bugs to iron out, never seen a bug in Pixelmator. So I'll stick with it until I discover an issue, but I will certainly keep Acorn in mind. Thanks!

        0 points
  • James Caruso, over 9 years ago

    Is Sketch the MacGuffin to our Granfalloon? I hope not.

    0 points
  • Dan HoughDan Hough, over 9 years ago (edited over 9 years ago )

    Maybe, maybe not.

    Like with all Things raved about by fanatical people, one must dig through the surrounding layers of fanaticism and find out what it is they really like about the Thing. Then, try the Thing, see if you agree and make your own judgement.

    0 points