Staying organized is one of the least fun parts of design—unless you’re into that kind of thing—which is why a lot of our working files end up looking like this:
This makes sense, right?
But I’m here to help you get 1 step closer to inspiring fewer eye rolls from your more-organized colleagues.
The first thing to remember about tidying up is that it never takes as long as you think. Especially if you take little steps like these along the way:
Tip 1: Name your layers
Whenever you create a layer in Sketch, hit Command+R right afterwards. This will let you rename your layer without moving your mouse.
And let’s be honest, the lazier you can be, the better.
Tip 2: Use layer groups
Organization isn’t difficult, it’s just boring and predictable. So—big surprise—I’m going to tell you to use groups!
To create a group, select a few layers, and hit Command+G. Then, like I just told you, hit Command+R to name it.
Groups used to be kind of frustrating for me though, because you have to double-click them to select layers inside the group.
But it turns out that’s not really the case. Just press and hold Command when you’re hovering over your group to skip the double-click and easily select any layer inside your group.
Tip 3: Use Pages
Using Pages is also kind of a no-brainer, but what you know you should do can quickly go out the window when you’re trying to get work done. So I’ll say it: Use Pages to your advantage!
Your file will run faster, you won’t have sprawling artboards, and you can logically break your design up into different sections (or pages), which makes it easy for other people to understand your working files too.
You can jump between pages by pressing Fn+Up or Down Arrow.
That’s all for this episode! If you have ideas for a future Design Snack, let us know on Twitter @InVisionApp.
by Andy Orsow
Designer and product marketer at InVision, resident GIF-ologist and video maker.
