Now, I know what you’re thinking: “A design tool that works as a web app? Its feature set must be very limited.” Surprisingly, that is not the case. I suppose some paid extras might be offered in future, though. Gravit is free to use and, as far as I know, will always be free. (Minor note: The development team recommends Chrome for running Gravit, but it performs well in Firefox, too.) The downside of this is that your designs are kept on Gravit’s server, and without an Internet connection you won’t be able to access them. The main pro is that if you have access to a modern desktop browser, it doesn’t matter whether you use Gravit on Windows, Mac or Linux - it should run equally well everywhere. Of course, a tool that runs in the browser has some pros and cons (both of which I’ll speak about in more detail further on). To try it, go to the sign-up page, create an account and then you can create (and save) your first design. Gravit is a screen design (and collaboration) tool that runs in the browser, so it does not need installation or configuration. A Fireworks illustration created in 2014 by Fabio Benedetti - the illustration is from his article “ Designing a Rocket Icon in Adobe Fireworks.” ( View large version) A Fireworks illustration created in 2015 by James Parker. However, development of Fireworks stopped over two years ago, and I strongly recommend finding a replacement, if you haven’t already. Note: Some people still use Fireworks for illustration and UI design because it has excellent capabilities. After a few months of using it, I feel ready to review its features and offer some practical tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way. So, I decided to give it a try and test it seriously. However, being Mac-only is a serious limitation, in my opinion - what if you use both Windows and Mac and need to be able to run Sketch on both systems? What if you don’t use a Mac at all? (I’m not the only one who feels this way.) (Note: While my article was been prepared for publishing, the Affinity team announced that they’ll release a version of Affinity Designer for Windows, but we’ll have to wait for the first public beta at least a few months.)ĭon’t get me wrong - I’ve read many positive articles about Sketch, and I am sure it is a worthy alternative to Fireworks. Why Gravit? Mainly because Sketch and Affinity Designer (a Mac-only app, too) are not options for me. So, here comes Gravit, a promising app that I discovered a few months ago as part of my research to find a good alternative to Fireworks. Unluckily for some of us, Sketch is a Mac-only app, which means that if you don’t own a Mac, you won’t be able to even try it. Smashing Magazine even published not so long ago a pretty good collection of tips for people who want to switch from Fireworks to Sketch. Since then, many user interface designers have been searching for a reliable alternative, one such being Bohemian Coding’s Sketch. So, back when Adobe declared that it would stop development of Fireworks, it was a sad day for me, as well as for many others who didn’t need the overcomplicated Photoshop and who favored the lightweight yet powerful Fireworks. “A Pig With a Broken Banjo” illustration, created in Adobe Fireworks, and posted as part of the Dueling Pigs With Banjos project. Using Fireworks was intuitive to me, and its tools and features perfectly matched my needs. “Friday Bunny” illustration, episode 65, created in Adobe Fireworks, all vectors. I enjoyed Fireworks mostly as an illustration tool - I used it for all of my digital illustration work and in various side projects, such as my Friday Bunny series. Really, many excellent articles and tutorials are out there.) (You can check Smashing Magazine’s Fireworks section for a quick refresher. I’ve been a fan of Adobe Fireworks for many years - I have used it for UI design, for digital illustration and for creating a quick mockup or wireframe every once in a while. The Power of Adobe Fireworks: What Can You Achieve With It?įirst, a bit of background.Unleashing The Full Potential Of Symbols In Sketch.Responsive Web Design Guidelines and Tutorials.In this article, I will explore the first browser-based app to be viable in the vector illustration and UI design space: Gravit. However, an increasing number of other tools are becoming available. One of the most popular tools for screen design and illustration in the last couple of years has undoubtedly been Sketch, which became an important part of many designers’ responsive web design and mobile design and prototyping workflows.
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