Nathaniel DaughtJan 27

As much as I am skeptical of Canva ownership longterm, the new Affinity Studio is quite solid even with a free account. I have hope they won't enshittify or force you to train AI.

As an Affinity v2 user it hasn't taken long for me to feel at home in Studio. Rolling an entire design suite into 1 app is impressive and makes a lot of sense.

I also use Sketch, Figma, Penpot, Procreate, and Pixelmator Pro (hope Apple doesn't ruin) depending on the task for my anti-Adobe workflow.

https://affinity.studio

#design #software #AffinityStudio #Canva #Adobe #Pixelmator #Sketch #Figma #Penpot

Show threadNathaniel Daught

I’ve discovered that I’m still generally the fastest at working in @Sketch for visual design.

I believe it’s due to the thoughtful UI/UX lending itself to a low-friction workflow, but also just how optimized and fast it actually is as a fully native macOS app can’t be undersold.

https://www.sketch.com/blog/9-reasons-to-choose-sketch-in-2026/

#design #AffinityStudio #Sketch #Figma #Penpot

9 Reasons to Choose Sketch as Your Design Tool in 2026 · Sketch Blog

Discover why Sketch is the design tool of choice in 2026. From a redesigned editor to flexible collaboration, free developer tools, and AI integration — see what sets Sketch apart.

Sketch
Feb 3 at 6:55pmWeb
Show threadSketchFeb 3
@nfd Thanks for the shoutout! This is exactly what we design for, minimum friction and maximum flow!
Show threadhazelnot Feb 3

@nfd @Sketch huh, I actually didn't know Sketch was still around 😅

But also it being a native Mac app is its biggest weakness since... not everyone has or can even afford a Mac 💀

Show threadNathaniel DaughtFeb 3

@hazelnot Most designers used Macs back in the day because the OS was much better for graphics work... Sketch is amazing today for similar reasons.

Yes new Macs are a bit more of an upfront investment but I'd say not everyone needs the latest Mac either... Any M-series Mac since 2021 with enough memory will get the job done better than many affordable newer PCs. I'm using a 2021 MacBook Pro (M1) and it's still kicking ass at design work.

Show threadhazelnot Feb 3

@nfd I'm happy enough with my 2019 AMD-based PC running Linux 😅

...plus I can't even afford a second-hand 2021 Mac Mini anyway 💀

Show threadNathaniel DaughtFeb 3
@hazelnot I absolutely understand, life is expensive. I’m not flush with cash for new or used computers currently either 😵