Affinity Designer

Pretty controversial

Should to say that it's fast as like as developers tells. But unlikely you will find a place for this software in your pipeline, if you're not artists and/or concept-designer, for some of which software doesn't matter, just because pixels are pixels always.

Below I will try to describe most critical problems you will meet in different cases of usage

1. Lack of vector drawing features.

   Affinity Designer haven't any kind of vector brushes, complex vector styles (see Appearance in Illustrator) and vector pattern options. So, you can't make vector arrowheads or technical fills and other technical drawings to export as SVG or PDF for silk-printing at all. Move away.

   Of course, you can achieve it manually, as always, but it's not perspective to draw such details with hands, not in working pipeline.

2. Math and limited output

   Affinity Designer not allows you to export each art board as named SVG file, raster formats only.

   Moreover, mathematics in Affinity Designer is not well enough for such kind of work as modern iconography, as instance. Stroke extending and trim operations make a lot of extra points arranged randomly. For example, look on the image below. It's extended inner stroke of simple circle. Even original outer edge was distorted. And there's no any refining options. Even if you will get two points in same coordinates, you can't fix it automatically.

   

   It's very simple example, but perfect demonstration.

   Therefore, the only way to get smooth and accurate splines is create it manually from scratch. But who wants to draw manually each corner?

3. No automation.

   Someone can say that it's doesn't matter, but where you can compensate disadvantages of Illustrator (with JS) or CorelDRAW (with VisualBasic) programmatically, and automate part of the routine work, with Affinity you can't. Affinity haven't even actions or macros.
   As a person who made quite crazy things with Illustrator by scripts, can say that scripts are difficult to overestimate when they are really needed. And vector software it's the thing where they could make many work due nature of vector graphics.

4. Something good?

   Well, now you can see that Affinity Designer just can't provide quality result no matter how pretty it looks. But it can make pretty things. Affinity Designer works with vector and raster graphics simultaneously. Another working Pixel Persona provides basic image-editing features like customizable textured brushes, smudge/blur/sharpen tools, eraser, Stabilizer, Photoshop-like Layer Styles and Color Adjustment features (last two works with vector objects too, but it's raster effects), etc. Stabilizer favorably distinguishes it from Adobe software, where nothing like this is still implemented in, although even Krita has it.

   Color adjustment features it's another big great solution. Although, only because the alternative solution for Illustrator from Astute is extremely expensive, although it allows you to get a professional result for print-production. The solution in Affinity Designer not, of course.

   Also, I should to say that snapping options are very-very convenient, flexible and intuitive. In some manner it compensate the lack of automatic tools. But Affinity Designer takes too many times anyway, and good but small usability features can't solve it effectively enough.

5. Resume

   I don't believe that these problems could be resolved in near future, seems it's fundamental. Maybe, because Serif has quite casual background with their software. Of course, $50 isn't great payment, and not so many convenient software for work with vector graphics. But, personally, I couldn't find any reason to start projects with Affinity Designer. Even if you're planning something really simple, like mobile app concept design, you will spend a lot of time for manual work, and no perspective to move forward inside Affinity Designer. Rework whole project with another software in critical moment isn't that thing which we want to endure. Only drawings and concept-design, where technical part not important at all.

   Maybe it's too hard from my side, but Serif is positioning their new line of software like alternative to Adobe infrastructure for 2D design, that's why we inevitably have to compare them. And don't forget, that Illustrator is native vector format which can be used in After Effects, InDesign, Photoshop, etc.

UPD1: After test-drive of Affinity Photo, I should to say, that Affinity Designer + Photo tandem is good enough alternative for Adobe Photoshop. Seems, that was the plan of Serif. For example: Affinity Designer works with artboards, Photo - not, but Photo can open Designer documents with artbords and work with them natively. That is, there is a hidden functionality that developers don't allow to use, apparently prompting the purchase of other software products of the company. And Artistic Text Tool and embedding also - no reason why Photo can't use it, but it can't by itself.

[Edited by M_O_Z_G, March 07]

I've used adobe CS6 suite for the longest time, needed a new replacement program for handling vector files and doing light editing that I would normally do in paint.net. Mostly for creating simple graphics as well for webdesign.

I wanted something similar to Apple's Sketch since windows unfortunately didn't have any close equivalents. This is the closest thing to it

I would describe Affinity Designer as a mix of Apple Sketch and Illustrator, with Photoshop (Raster image tools) baked in. There's also a seperate program specifically for working with photos, that's called affinityphotos

PROS:

• Loads up quickly
• Unbloated
• $50 one time fee
• Export Persona is amazing for quickly creating png files

The problem with using illustrator is I didn't use it everyday, so sometimes I would forget all these quirky workflows when working with it, and it'd take far too long to get something done.

I was able to create simple graphics without looking at tutorials, its very intuitive.

It's lightning fast and a lot more simple than illustrator. It's loaded with tons a features. At this price you don't need to think twice!

AD has many merits. First and foremost as a direct competitor to Illustrator it has a one time purchase payment model, and at an affordable rate, too. It is faster, too!

Most features Illustrator has, AD has too, partially improved, like a gigantic zoom (we're talking 1 Million Times!), realtime previews, smooth & responsive Interface ergonomics, de-cluttered UI (workflow-specific "personas").

But not all features are represented, like the shape builder, mesh transformation or smart objects. But the dev team is working constantly on adding features and improving existing ones and the community feels friendly, open and helpful.

So if you're workflow in Illustrator isn't too specific you willfind AD to be able to fill the spot perfectly and you get way more value due to the payment model. And even if you want to keep using Illustrator AD will still be a worthwhile addition to your repertoire!

I personally find Vectornator a better product than Affinity Designer in many ways - one of the main reasons is that AD is kind of buggy, and for the longest time I was ok with that since I enjoyed using it and overlooked the negatives, but after finding an alternative (Vectornator), I can’t go back to using AD. If you’re looking for an application to work with vector graphics (as I do, mainly), then forget AD and look at Vectornator as an alternative, I did, and I don’t regret it.