Why I Love Affinity Designer by Serif

My very first introduction to digital art came from a Crayola CD-ROM* I had when I was a child. It was pretty awesome. One of the main features was an easel that took you to a digital art board, where you could create vector graphics.

<< Also the lizard sticks out his tongue, the horn honks, the phone tells you jokes, and the cat gets up and walks around. I have yet to find a professional program this awesome, unfortunately. >>

Crayola CD-ROM for Windows

Crayola CD-ROM for Windows

Then I learned to use Paint and free editing programs that came on my first Dell computer. Not as fun, but they were free and did the job - editing photos for Myspace of course.

Eventually I taught myself Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. Basically more sophisticated, even less fun versions of Crayola and Paint.

Then about a year ago, I discovered Affinity Designer by Serif. I have to say, I really, really love it. If you are a designer or artist, looking for something new, I cannot recommend it enough.

PROS

  1. Cost ~ Both Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo start at $19.99 for the iPad version, and $69.99 for desktop. You really can’t beat the cost for a professional program. Did I mention that is a one time payment? Not a monthly subscription.

  2. Vectors + Pixels ~ One of most impressive features, is that you can switch between a vector and a pixel workspace in the SAME program.

  3. Intuitive ~ Like any new program, there is a learning curve, but I have found that Affinity is extremely intuitive and user friendly. The interface is simple, yet it can do almost anything you need it to do.

  4. Compatibility ~ It’s compatible with .ai and .psd files.

  5. UX + UI ~ While it’s still not as fun as Crayola, it has a more colorful and user-friendly workspace than most design programs out there. It’s newer and in many ways disruptive of the industry (vectors + pixels, same program). And isn't that was design is all about?

Affinity Designer by Serif ~ Page from A Cozy Christmas Coloring Adventure

Affinity Designer by Serif ~ Page from A Cozy Christmas Coloring Adventure

CONS

  1. Flattening ~ The one feature I wish this program had, is the ability to flatten PDFs.**

  2. It’s Not An Industry Standard Yet ~ I personally love this program, and I’ve been so happy with it since I started using it. However, it is not an “industry standard.” It is compatible with programs like Illustrator and Photoshop, but it’s not Illustrator or Photoshop. So while I use Affinity to create things for myself and for clients, I think it is still important to know how to use the “industry standard” programs - whatever those programs are for your niche.

Overall, I do love Affinity. I was very happy when I discovered this program, and haven’t felt the need to use anything else since. I wanted to share this in case other designers out there are looking for something new and innovative, maybe more affordable.

Note, this is not a paid ad, and I am not affiliated with this company in any way. Just a happy customer. ❤️

* A CD-ROM was a computer program similar to a modern website, phone application or video game. The program could only be accessed by placing the CD-ROM into the computer, the same way a CD must be put into a sound system, or a DVD into a DVD player.

** As of 2023, you can flatten PDFs

lauren ashbury