Designing an incredible website is one thing, but launching that concept into a real, working prototype is something else entirely. For some time, Sketch has been an application specifically created to help designers create fantastic designs for websites and applications. The tool is incredibly popular, with people all around the world using it to help them create stunning animations and responsive creations.

However, while Sketch has always been a great design app, that’s all it was – until now. Today, the designs that you make on Sketch for your website can automatically become real designs, without the need for any coding education at all. Designs made with the “Auto Layout” function will automatically work the same way on your standard browser website as they do in your Sketch app, and it’s all thanks to Launchpad.

What is Launchpad for Sketch?

Essentially, Launchpad is Sketch’s way of transforming the average designer into a website developer. With Launchpad, you can publish your own responsive website creations directly from your favourite app, with no need to learn how to code, and no complex wire-framing. All you need to do is build your design, and Launchpad will put it on the web for you – it’s really as simple as that.

Launchpad is a PaaS solution – or platform as a service for designers. It integrates seamlessly into the Sketch UI so that you feel right at home when you’re designing, and when you’ve finished creating, you simply convert your creation into CSS or HTML. Let’s take a look at just some of the features you can expect from Launchpad and Sketch.

Easy Responsive Design

Launchpad and Sketch ensure that designers can create beautiful responsive websites within the shortest timeframe possible, thanks to the “Auto Layout” feature. Auto Layout allows you to design responsive screens on Sketch, so your design moves fluidly within the Sketch app. Because Auto Layout works together with Launchpad, it means that you can rapidly transform your responsive design concepts into fully-functional live websites.

With the Launchpad plugin, you simply publish the websites you create directly from Sketch, with no need for an additional software download. Thanks to Launchpad, every design you build can be a single click away from becoming the website of your dreams. This means that you can stop worrying about the complex coding part of website creation and focus on the creative part. Jumping to different versions and rolling back updates is simple too!

Anything is Possible with Sketch

Essentially, because Launchpad is a plugin for Sketch, anything you can do on Sketch can be done at scale with the Launchpad app. For instance, you don’t just have to create full websites with Sketch, you can also design forms for your landing pages and load those up onto a pre-existing website instead. Or you could create a stunning animated video that helps to explain to your customers how your products and services work in an engaging and unique format.

Everything from hover effects, to animation, are all included within the Launchpad plugin, and there are also plenty of external widgets to explore too, which ensures that designers have all the resources that they need to build their own eCommerce websites, read up on analytics about the sites they create, and chart information about their creations.

There are even plugins that make it easier for the designers of a new website to chat with their followers online too, so you can offer an exceptional experience that goes beyond the way that your new online presence looks.

Building a Beautiful Website with Ease

Launchpad is the no-coding approach to designing amazing and unique websites without any complexity whatsoever. You can connect to your domain in a matter of seconds, and Sketch integrates seamlessly with everything from GoDaddy to Google. No matter what provider you might be using, you can rest assured that you’ll be ready to go with Launchpad.

Additionally, the Launchpad plugin is built to ensure incredible speed too. It’s been specifically optimised to boost loading times, so you can rest assured that you’ll get high points from Google when you’re being assessed for ranking factors like page speed. This is a great feature both for keeping your users happy and appealing to the search engines too.

Finally, Launchpad also benefits from excellent security. You no longer need to ask an expert host to set up an SSL certificate for you when you launch your website, as Launchpad will sort it out for you – ensuring your users get the best possible experience.