Sketch releases 'Adaptive Grids' and AI pattern suggestions for responsive design

Design · 4 min read

Adaptive Grids let designers define responsive constraints and behavior for components that persist across breakpoints, reducing manual rework when building responsive prototypes. The system integrates with Symbols and Libraries so shared components behave predictably across different viewport sizes.

A complementary AI feature analyzes a selected artboard and suggests pattern-level adjustments — for instance, recommending a card stack for narrow screens or a multi-column layout for desktops. Suggestions include rationale and impact estimates like improved scannability or lower cognitive load.

Sketch focused on a lightweight, offline-first approach: the adaptive grid computations run locally, while AI suggestions offer optional cloud refinement. The company emphasized export fidelity to dev handoff formats, preserving adaptive behaviors in CSS and mobile constraints.

Design teams welcomed the reduced repetitive work but asked for more control over AI suggestion thresholds. Sketch plans an update with customizable suggestion sensitivity and enterprise settings for design governance.