Affinity Designer Workbook
By Trey Yancy
For thousands of pro-level graphic artists and designers, the introduction of a subscription-only model for their once-favorite apps has set them on a quest for suitable alternatives. In the area of illustration, one of the top contenders is Serif’s Affinity Designer.
While Designer has only just reached its 1.5 upgrade and lacks the 30-year head start of its chief rival, it does offer many features that take the user far beyond what they are used to, and impressively so. This includes bitmap painting and advanced rasterization, massive documents, nosebleed magnifications, fast rendering, some very impressive FX tools, and an unlimited un-do history that is retained with the document. There are also some cool features that can become elaborate enough to back you into a corner, which requires a solid understanding of the tools and interface and the value of some solid tutorials.
Regardless of one’s expertise with other apps and the transferability of skills, the best way to get up to speed with Designer is to master the basics. Affinity has recognized this as an imperative for growing their user base and they have collaborated with a number of illustrators to produce an excellent tutorial publication, the Affinity Designer Workbook.
Overview
With over 430 pages, this well-designed book begins with a UI tour and a focus on core skills, followed by illustration and design projects that give you what you need to get up and running on both the vector and bitmap sides of the app. It also devotes a section to designing user interfaces for mobile apps. To support
