The New Affinity Philosophy: Three Tools, One Workflow

Let’s be clear about something upfront, Affinity did not merge everything into a single bloated app.

Instead, they created a shared environment where:

• Affinity Designer handles vector work and illustration

• Affinity Photo handles raster editing

• Affinity Publisher handles layout and print composition

The magic lies in StudioLink, the ability to jump between Designer and Photo inside Publisher without exporting, importing, or flattening files.

In practice, this means:

• You can edit vector paths directly inside a layout

• You can retouch images without leaving your document

• You can keep everything live, editable, and connected

Conceptually? Brilliant.
Execution-wise? Mostly excellent, with a few caveats.

Real-World Test: Rollup Banner + A5 Flyer

This wasn’t a theoretical test or a tutorial exercise.
This was real print work, intended to be viewed from distance (rollup) and up close (flyer), with real export requirements.

What I Used

• Document setup in Affinity Designer

• Layout refinements and text handling

• Final export to print-ready PDF

• Curve conversion and preflight checks

The Good News First

Affinity Designer pulled through.

• Layout tools are precise and predictable

• Typography controls are strong

• Alignment, snapping, and grids are solid

• Vector handling feels fast and modern

For pure design work, the experience was professional and reliable.

Where Things Get Tricky: Text to Curves & Export Behavior

Here’s where Affinity still shows some growing pains.

When converting text to curves (a common requirement for print), I encountered:

• Minor visual inconsistencies

• Unexpected outline behavior

• Occasional export issues unless some elements were rasterized manually

These are not everyday problems, but they do appear in edge cases, especially when:

• Using complex fonts

• Mixing effects

• Preparing files for strict print environments

This is an area where Adobe Illustrator is still more predictable. Illustrator has decades of refinement in how it handles text outlines and print-ready vectors.

That said, these issues are manageable, and once you know where they appear, you can work around them confidently.

Export Options: This Is Where Affinity Shines

If there’s one area where Affinity genuinely impressed me, it’s export control.

Affinity offers:

• Deep PDF export settings

• Full control over rasterization

• ICC profiles

• PDF/X standards

• Font embedding options

• Bleeds, crops, and compression tuning

And the result?

Smaller PDFs with the same visual quality.

That alone is huge, especially for:

• Email delivery

• Client previews

• Archiving

• Large-format print jobs

Affinity clearly prioritizes efficiency without sacrificing control, and it shows.

Compared to Older Affinity Versions: A Big Step Forward

Before this unified approach, Affinity apps felt like siblings who didn’t talk enough.

Now:

• Switching between tools is fluid

• You don’t mentally “leave” the project

• You use the right tool at the right moment

Yes, it can feel confusing at first — especially if you’re used to hard boundaries between apps — but once it clicks, it’s genuinely productive.

That said, I would love to see image-editing tools more accessible inside Designer by default.
Since it’s technically the same ecosystem, some tools still feel one click too far away.

The Canva Factor: A Necessary Evil?

Let’s address the elephant in the room.

Affinity’s merge with Canva raised eyebrows, and honestly, I was skeptical too.

But here’s the reality:

• Canva brings accessibility and reach

• Affinity brings professional control

• The tools themselves remain serious

If you are not heavily dependent on AI features, Affinity is still the better choice for real design work.

Yes, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe’s AI tools can be helpful, but they are not what makes a designer good.
They assist. They don’t replace skill.

At the end of the day, the creator still matters more than the tool.

Performance, Stability, and File Size

Performance-wise, Affinity feels:

• Fast

• Responsive

• Lightweight compared to Adobe

No subscription bloat.
No cloud dependency mid-project.
No sudden “trial expired” surprises.

Files stay clean, portable, and manageable.

Who Is Affinity Really For?

Affinity is ideal if you:

• Do print + digital design

• Value ownership over subscription

• Want professional control without corporate lock-in

• Don’t rely heavily on AI gimmicks

• Appreciate efficient exports and clean files

If you are:

• Deep into Adobe AI workflows

• Dependent on After Effects pipelines

• Working in massive agency ecosystems

…then Adobe still has advantages.

But for freelancers, studios, and independent designers?
Affinity is not just an alternative anymore, it’s a legitimate primary tool.

Suggestions for Improvement

Affinity is close to excellent, but here’s what would elevate it further:

1. More predictable text-to-curve behavior

2. Clearer export warnings when rasterization is required

3. Faster access to image-editing tools inside Designer

4. Improved preflight feedback for print jobs

5. Slightly better onboarding for the unified workflow

None of these are deal-breakers — but fixing them would push Affinity from great to outstanding.

Final Verdict: Was It Worth It?

Absolutely.

The rollup and flyer were delivered professionally, on time, and without compromises in quality.
The export flexibility, file size efficiency, and workflow speed genuinely impressed me.

Affinity isn’t perfect — but it’s honest software, built for designers who actually work.

And honestly?
We’ve needed something like this for a long time.