What Sketch does

Sketch is the vector design tool that changed how digital products get designed. Before Figma became the industry favourite, Sketch was the tool that dethroned Adobe for UI/UX design. It’s a professional vector graphics editor for macOS, purpose-built for interface design, icon design, and prototyping. Their collaborative features let design teams work together in real time, and their developer handoff tools bridge the gap between design and engineering.

Founded in 2010 in The Hague, Netherlands – though “in” is doing heavy lifting here since the founders were already distributed – Sketch still serves thousands of design teams worldwide. They deliberately chose to stay macOS-only, preferring to do one thing brilliantly rather than everything adequately.

Remote culture: what it’s actually like

Sketch is the anti-hype remote company. No splashy blog posts about their distributed culture. No PR campaigns about being remote-first. They just… are. And have been since 2010 – without ever having an office. Not a small office, not a co-working space, not even a hot desk. From day one, fully distributed by default.

Their ~250 employees work across dozens of countries, quietly building a profitable product. The culture is calm and craft-focused. There’s no “hustle” mentality. They build thoughtfully and ship when things are ready. They compete with Figma – backed by billions – without burning out their team.

The calm extends to communication. Async by default, with written updates and documentation taking priority over meetings. The company gathers for retreats typically twice a year, but the daily rhythm is quiet, focused, and independent.

Leadership is distributed, and the European roots (Dutch founding) give the company a distinctly non-American flavour. The cultural emphasis is on craftsmanship, sustainability, and doing excellent work at a reasonable pace.

The honest assessment: Sketch’s calm culture is its biggest draw for the right person – and its biggest potential mismatch for someone who thrives on fast-paced energy. If you want the startup rollercoaster, look elsewhere. If you want to do beautiful work on a respected product without sacrificing your evenings and weekends, Sketch is worth your attention.

Hiring in Europe: the details

Countries: Global, with team members across Europe, the Americas, and beyond. The Dutch roots and European timezone preference mean European candidates have a natural advantage for many roles.

Employment model: A mix of direct hire and contractor arrangements depending on the country. Sketch has been managing international employment for over a decade and handles the logistics pragmatically.

Timezone expectations: European timezone overlap is preferred given the company’s Dutch origins. This doesn’t mean you need to be in CET exactly, but significant overlap with European working hours is expected for most roles. For European job seekers, this is actually an advantage – you’re in the preferred timezone.

Salary approach: Competitive and craft-focused. Sketch pays well for the quality of talent they seek, without the inflated packages of VC-fuelled hypergrowth companies. The stability and culture are part of the compensation proposition.

Language requirements: English is the working language.

Who they’re looking for

Sketch runs lean for a company of their scale. Typical roles include:

  • Engineering (macOS/Swift, web, backend)
  • Product design (naturally – they build a design tool)
  • Marketing and content
  • Customer support
  • QA and testing
  • Operations

They hire for craftsmanship. If your application reads like a growth-hacking LinkedIn post, you’ll get filtered. If it reads like someone who cares deeply about quality, takes pride in their work, and doesn’t need constant external validation, you’ll stand out.

For engineers: Sketch’s macOS-native development means heavy use of Swift and Apple frameworks. If you’re a native Apple developer, this is a rare opportunity to work on a genuinely beloved product.

What current and former employees say

Employees describe Sketch as a place where you can do your best work without the stress and performative busyness that characterises much of tech. The calm culture, European sensibility, and focus on craft are consistently praised.

The concerns: career progression in a 250-person company has natural limits, the pace may feel too slow for ambitious climbers, and the competition with Figma creates an existential question that some employees find energising and others find unsettling. The macOS-only product decision is divisive – some see it as principled focus, others worry about market limitations.

People who thrive at Sketch value quality over speed, prefer deep work to broad exposure, and find satisfaction in refining something excellent rather than launching something new every quarter.

How to apply

Specific tips: If you’re a designer, genuine Sketch experience matters. If you’re not a designer, demonstrate understanding of where Sketch fits in the design ecosystem and why their macOS-only, craft-focused approach is a deliberate strategy. Appreciate the philosophy – Sketch chose not to chase every feature Figma ships, and understanding that product philosophy signals cultural alignment. In your application, show depth over breadth.

See our full guide to Remote-First Companies That Actually Hire in Europe.