Adobe Illustrator vs Affinity Designer for Graphic Design: A Software Comparison
Almost everyone involved in digital art is familiar with the Adobe suite, and if you ask most graphic designers, they’ll likely say Adobe Illustrator is the industry go-to and their preferred tool. However, Adobe isn’t the only option out there.
A strong alternative is the Affinity suite, which includes Affinity Photo for photo editing, Affinity Designer for graphic design, and Affinity Publisher for layout and print design. If you’re keen to try it out, Wacom One pen displays and tablets come with a free three-month trial of the Affinity suite.
You might have heard the recent news that Canva has acquired Affinity. What this means long term remains to be seen, but it’s likely that Canva’s resources and innovation will lead to further development of Affinity’s software. One significant promise they’ve made, however, is to continue offering Affinity with perpetual one-time purchases, unlike Adobe’s subscription model.
If you’re a graphic designer curious about how Affinity Designer stacks up against Adobe Illustrator, Vivienne Le has got you covered. Based in Germany, Vivienne is a graphic designer and compared both software tools by designing a book cover with her Wacom One tablet. Check out the video below, or continue reading for the full breakdown.
Introduction
It might feel repetitive to mention that Adobe Illustrator has long been the leading software for vector design, but with Canva’s acquisition of Affinity, Adobe is facing serious competition. Illustrator has been around for almost 30 years, so it’s worth revisiting how it compares to Affinity Designer in 2024.
Hi, I’m Viv, a graphic designer based in Berlin, and I’ll be sharing my process of designing a book cover using both Adobe Illustrator and Affinity Designer, alongside my Wacom One tablet. To compare their strengths, I created two abstract book covers, working from paper sketches to final vector designs.
The book cover design is inspired by a project by my friends in Vietnam who published the first collection of Vietnamese queer slang, with English definitions and beautiful illustrations. For my concept, I drew inspiration from children’s picture dictionaries, adding playful objects, shapes, and abstract paint blobs over a grid to represent breaking out of convention.
My setup includes a MacBook Pro, an external monitor, and my Wacom One tablet. I prefer this tablet over others with built-in displays as it’s easier to manage all my files on my laptop while using a drawing tablet. I’ll be switching between the mouse and tablet to create vector designs.
Designing with Adobe Illustrator
I started with Adobe Illustrator because it’s the most familiar program for me. I still prefer sketching ideas on paper before bringing them into the software, so I imported my sketch and began tracing over it.
The Basics
The Wacom One works perfectly without needing any adjustments, and connecting via Bluetooth to my laptop is effortless. With the basic Brush Tool, I can easily trace my sketch to create simple vector paths. My style is minimalistic and abstract, so I don’t often use all of Illustrator’s features, though it offers more advanced tools like Shape Builder and Blob Brush for intricate designs.
Working with gradients in Illustrator is a breeze. All it takes is clicking and dragging to shape the gradient to my liking. I used preset swatches to create a bold, colourful look for this design.
Image Tracing
One tool I rely on frequently in Illustrator is Image Tracing, which converts bitmap or pixel images into vector paths. While I didn’t use it for this project, it’s essential when I need to prepare non-vector designs like stickers for printing.
Typography
Illustrator is also rich in typography features. If your work revolves around text, Illustrator is ideal for adjusting fonts, kerning, and applying text distortions. For this project, I used the Google Font “Be Vietnam,” which is visually appealing and designed with Vietnamese accents in mind. Illustrator also has seamless integration with Adobe Fonts, giving you access to a vast library of premium fonts to try before purchasing.
Performance
Using Illustrator on my 2020 MacBook Pro is generally smooth, though handling large, complex files can cause lag, especially after updates when I often have to tweak settings.
Layout
The recent updates have aimed to make Illustrator more accessible to beginners. A new AI-powered pop-up suggests relevant tools based on the selected object, though I find it somewhat intrusive. Despite this, the synergy between Adobe programs like InDesign and Photoshop is essential for my workflow. The ability to export in .AI format, the industry standard, is another significant advantage.
Here’s the final book cover design created in Adobe Illustrator:
Affinity Designer
Now let’s shift to Affinity Designer.
Layout, Performance, and Wacom Compatibility
Right from the start, I appreciated the clean, streamlined interface. It has all the key tools like Pen and Brush, but it feels lighter and more responsive, making it easier to sketch directly on the computer. The menus stick to the edges, allowing me to focus on my work.
My Wacom tablet also worked without any adjustments, but the overall experience of drawing felt much smoother. The workflow is simpler, and zooming in and out to clean up my vector paths was seamless.
Colours, Gradients, and Menus
The gradient tool is similar to Illustrator’s, though I think Illustrator has better default swatches. However, Affinity Designer offers some unique touches, like adding noise to gradients. The tools are intuitive and easy to navigate with sliders instead of drop-down boxes for settings like stroke width or layer transparency, which feels more modern.
Compatibility
Affinity Designer saves files in .afdesign format, so collaborating with someone using a different program may require exporting to formats like PNG, JPG, SVG, PDF, or even .PSD. While Affinity imports Adobe files, the reverse can be tricky, as elements may not always export perfectly into .AI format. Proofs are essential when using Affinity in professional print work.
Here’s the final design created in Affinity Designer:
And here are the final versions, put into book mockups:
As you can see, the design process in both programs was quite similar. While Illustrator has a few extra features, I much preferred the simplicity of Affinity Designer. Illustrator’s extensive toolset may appeal to those who use its advanced functions, but for straightforward vector design, Affinity Designer is faster, cleaner, and far more user-friendly.
Affinity Designer also comes at a fraction of the cost, with a one-time purchase of around $50, compared to Adobe’s subscription model. Given the quality and affordability, I’m confident that Affinity will continue to add valuable updates in the future.
So, will Affinity Designer replace Adobe Illustrator? Probably not. But for the
majority of tasks, you can accomplish just as much with Affinity as you can with Illustrator. With Canva now backing Affinity, I believe we’ll see even more innovations that could challenge Adobe’s dominance, especially for those without formal design training.
Ultimately, the choice between Adobe Illustrator and Affinity Designer depends on your personal workflow, needs, and budget. But if you’re searching for a cost-effective, user-friendly tool for creating vector designs, I would definitely recommend giving Affinity Designer a try.
