CheatSheetsHero

Catalog / Sketch UI/UX Design Cheatsheet

Sketch UI/UX Design Cheatsheet

A quick reference guide for UI/UX designers using Sketch, covering essential tools, shortcuts, and best practices for efficient workflow and design.

Interface Basics & Navigation

Core Interface Elements

Toolbar

Located at the top, provides quick access to essential tools like shapes, text, and boolean operations.

Layers List

Found on the left sidebar, displays all layers and groups in your document, allowing for easy selection and organization.

Inspector

On the right sidebar, provides detailed settings for selected layers, including appearance, text styles, and constraints.

Canvas

The main work area where you create and manipulate design elements.

Canvas Navigation

Zoom In/Out

Cmd + Plus / Cmd + Minus or Cmd + Mouse Wheel

Hand Tool (Pan)

Spacebar + Drag

Zoom to Selection

Cmd + 2

Zoom to Fit

Cmd + 1

Artboards

Artboards represent screens or pages in your design.

  • Insert Artboard: A key
  • Choose Preset Size: Select from the right sidebar (Inspector).
  • Custom Size: Drag to define the artboard size manually.

Essential Tools & Shortcuts

Shape Tools

Rectangle

R

Oval

O

Line

L

Vector (Pen Tool)

V

Rounded Rectangle

Insert Rectangle, then adjust Corner Radius in Inspector

Text Tool

Insert Text

T

Edit Text

Double-click the text layer

Adjust Text Properties

Use the Inspector (font, size, color, alignment, etc.)

Basic Operations

Select

Cmd + Click (through groups)

Move

Arrow keys (nudge)

Duplicate

Cmd + D

Group

Cmd + G

Ungroup

Cmd + Shift + G

Boolean Operations

Combine shapes to create complex forms.

  • Union: Merge selected shapes.
  • Subtract: Remove the front shape from the back shape.
  • Intersect: Keep only the overlapping area.
  • Difference: Remove the overlapping area.

Styles & Assets

Shared Styles

Create reusable styles for text and layers to maintain consistency.

  • Create Style: Select a layer, define its appearance in the Inspector, and click ‘Create’ in the Shared Styles section.
  • Apply Style: Select a layer and choose a style from the Shared Styles dropdown.

Symbols

Create reusable components that can be easily updated across your design.

  • Create Symbol: Select a layer or group and click ‘Create Symbol’ in the toolbar.
  • Edit Symbol: Double-click a Symbol instance to edit the master Symbol. Changes will propagate to all instances.
  • Detach from Symbol: Right-click a Symbol instance and select ‘Detach from Symbol’.

Libraries

Share Styles and Symbols across multiple Sketch documents.

  • Create Library: Save a Sketch document containing Shared Styles and Symbols.
  • Add Library: In Sketch Preferences, add the saved document as a Library.
  • Use Library: Access Shared Styles and Symbols from the Libraries section in the Inspector.

Advanced Techniques & Plugins

Masking

Use a shape as a mask to reveal or hide portions of another layer.

  • Create Mask: Place the mask shape above the layer to be masked, select both, and click ‘Mask’ in the toolbar.

Prototyping

Create interactive prototypes to test user flows and interactions.

  • Link Artboards: Select a layer, click the ‘Prototype’ tab in the Inspector, and drag the arrow to the target artboard.
  • Define Transition: Choose a transition effect (e.g., Push, Fade) and animation direction.

Plugins

Extend Sketch’s functionality with plugins.

  • Install Plugins: Use Sketch’s Plugin Manager or download plugins manually and place them in the Plugins folder.
  • Popular Plugins:
    • Craft: For data population and prototyping.
    • Abstract: For version control.
    • Zeplin: For design handoff.
Download PDF