Winsome

Sigh, that's exactly WHY customization options are requested. And the number of options is not the deciding factor, but the number of relevant options. The Soviet criterion for success in production in, say, 1970 was numbers. The result was a disaster. And you can imagine, dissatisfaction. I think and hope Serif would like to be measured on more 2022-like criteria's like quality and relevance.
You will find many more (and relevant!) options and icons in other programs, while the number of different icons (functions) that can be placed on the toolbar in Affinity in version 1.x is minimal. The flexibility of the toolbar is at a low. The first thing many people do is remove the spaces between icons, otherwise the right alignment drags the few usable icons across a large screen. It looks awful and is clumsy to use.
Some customers point this out and request improvements, but a group of mega posters (but not creatives, designers?) want to oppose with arguments so weak that they are almost unreadable. You people simply have to constantly and daily push against customer wants and needs that in no way go against your needs, and that creates noise in here, and is frankly unsympathetic. And it doesn't really resemble what is in the DNA of creatives, to create and move forward and improve.
You have a problem with someone in need of something arguing passionately for it, while you yourself have soon written a whopping 22,000 posts in here? Do you realize how ridiculous that appears? If you had instead READ 22,000 posts and simultaneously tried to see the situation through the eyes of the authors, then you might have learned something.
And look at me, dammit, now I'm writing to a wall on the Internet again.
Serif, you probably got my point and others; I hope you add more options. There is a need for them and they are in demand by customers.

It is simply this you are trying to achieve? (Minus the renaming) - it is crazy easy in other programs, this example is from Vectorstyler, where you can also get a wireframe preview, useful to experiment before applying to complex groups without going into full wireframe mode:

 

It must be exciting for all of you after a massive 9 long years of waiting! I wonder if you will get some of the features that the rest of us have had for over 20 years??

This is what @Royk is referring to:

THAT is always as in 'always!'.
If you want this to happen at any time, a general setting in preferences is what it takes. Illustrator has one. Designer has workarounds. 
And @Royk you have to be careful because effects are also not scaled by default.
This will help:
 

Disagree. Serif is a small company that uses other companies' technologies and algorithms to the maximum (and that's what they got awards for from Apple and Microsoft), but they are not a high-tech company. They don't have much you can buy. No one is acquiring Serif, and there are no competitors threatened by their products. Serif lives comfortably on the small designer's scarcity of resources and on micro firms perhaps. The big money is elsewhere. If anyone should buy Serif, it's Magix... but Serif is unlikely to return to being a company with pushy and untrustworthy telemarketers and all that goes with it. It's a more dignified and satisfying image and brand Serif has created for itself since Affinity was marketed.
Serif asking their customers about willingness to other payment models is probably more a sign that the old pay once use forever model doesn't keep companies alive in the long run anymore. Not even Serif. They would do well to think about the future and to consult customers about what they want and what they are willing to accept. 
People are so hell-bent on cursing Adobe for the subscription model, but the whole market is heading there. And it's not because of greed, but because everyone needs a stable income, not to mention stability as a business beyond 12 months. You don't survive like an Asian street food kitchen from month to month. This is serious business for the company and the employees! When the market is saturated, companies need to feed somewhere. We will not be satisfied with a perpetual product from a company that only exists in the history books. If only subscription prices could find a decent rent, more people would find it a natural business model. Old days are not coming back.
However, I think Serif is doing okay and that they don't need to rush. With all the customers in here who buy the programs on sale and don't seem to have the desire or the money to spend more money on better alternatives, I think Serif knows full well that their customer base isn't leaving them just yet.

If you activate snapping and force pixel alignment, you will get what you expect from paint.

This is what @Royk is referring to:

THAT is always as in 'always!'.
If you want this to happen at any time, a general setting in preferences is what it takes. Illustrator has one. Designer has workarounds. 
And @Royk you have to be careful because effects are also not scaled by default.
This will help:
 

Layer -> Fill mode -> Alternate

🙄

You speak of a distant past. Vectorstyler left the beta phase a very, very long time ago, and has been updated and improved incredibly and significantly over many updates since. And it continues like that. The improvements have mostly been based on customer feedback, and I've seen customers get their suggestions approved and implemented in days or weeks. So instead of walking away, I recommend joining that forum. There is listening, responding, reacting and implementing. The program has been significantly improved in 2022 alone. And since the program is developed so heavily on customer feedback, no strange or sadly simple tools have been implemented like in Affinity Designer - e.g. the contour tool. You really don't know what vector design CAN do until you've tried Vectortyler, Adobe Illustrator or Coreldraw and their many awesome features.
And then we just have the fact that Vectorstyler has almost every feature imaginable (And the rest on the roadmap), at least all the ones Affinity is missing and maybe 100 more (no kidding), and that the missing features on a roadmap that is public. I would guess that there are a lot of Affinity customers who can't afford not to try Vectorstyler, unless they want to pay for Adobe, Coreldrawor spend the rest of their lives on workarounds to do simple things. I don't get the impression from the typical Affinity customer that they have a big budget for software.
It's hilarious that people in here request features for years and hardly see a single one of these requests implemented by Serif (in recent years), while the same features exist in abundance in Vectorstyler or if features are requested, they end up visibly on a public roadmap. If not, the developer tells you directly; there is no uncertainty.
So, instead of the many blathering on in here over thousands of posts that don't make a single difference, I can recommend creatives to give Vectorstyler a try, there is a long trial, and even more recommend that you make your opinion known on Vectorstyler's forum, you can have an influence, e.g. you can get bugs fixed in a week. It's impossible to explain how liberating it is to get rid of software problems so incredibly fast. The license runs for a long time, so you're spoiled with Vectorstyler too.
Vectorstyler and Designer are a great pair, suddenly you have two excellent programs that together form a gigantic and versatile toolbox. That's how I as a creative, results-oriented person look at it.
While Affinity Designer has only the simplest and very few tools for vector drawing, and we have no idea what might come, and when, there are a lot of designers like me who NEED to supplement Affinity with a competent vector program. And that's where Vectorstyler comes into its own. Affinity Designer will never catch up to Vector Styler feature-wise. Keep that in mind too.
So no fanboy here; I use both programs separately or together and I like both programs. I could not here and now do without either of them on my macOS machine.
Still, whether one likes or needs a program like Vectorstyler is one's own business, but one should try the alternatives out there, and the Vectorstyler development is worth participating in as well as monitoring:
VectorStyler Roadmap
www.vectorstyler.com

I'm actually a customer and that's why I state my opinion, seven billion people don't matter when they aren't customers and having a premium price when the tools don't live up to the hype won't make any new customers.
Why sound like a snobbish asshat? Good way to make your point mate.

Capture One delivers algorithms and products on a whole other level, and I'm glad it's seriously discovered out there. There are no RAW converters that are anywhere near their output.
It's not so much a roadmap, but that they are flashing ambitious direction for professionals, they are communicating that not only are they going mobile, which is a very manageable task in the year 2022, but delivering something that seriously leverages the internet and cloud technology: Capture One Live. And that puts them in a strong place compared to competitors.
But true that companies can then make an informed decision. That's big money to invest, and they need to have a clear idea of what choices they can and should make in the next 2-3 years or more.
Serif's average customer doesn't seem to have the great needs or means, and they are obviously not commercial firms, and you can see that from two factors:
Serif Plus range that was not for professionals was discontinued without migration tools to Affinity. A commercial clientele had never accepted it and had left. Serif couldn't have lived with that. Extremely slow development pace where especially Designer and Publisher do not have special features. A commercial clientele would never have accepted it, etc. But really, what is it that spurs panic or impatience? It hasn't been very long since they pretty much closed the release 1.x branch (with a performance update which is actually chivalrous) and are working on a major upgrade. With a smaller development staff it will take longer to make, test and complete, all things being equal.
I also think many of us have come to understand that we are not waiting for an update that heals all wounds and delivers all missing features. I don't even think 3.0 will get there.
I have found alternatives instead for all advanced use, Photo and Publisher are completely inadequate, while I still enjoy simple things in Designer where the combination of vector and graphics works. Designer really needs to have many algorithms replaced and many features added for it to gain ground back from Vecstorstyler and Illustrator in my studio. Unreal much.
You have waited a very long time for a miracle in a rush of dreams. The miracle will not come. You're getting an update of sorts. And then you have to wait forever again. Lost opportunities in a studio without the proper tools. And the clock of Life is ticking.

All very astute statements, C1P'a raw develop engine is lightyears ahead of any others that I have tried, including Adobe's Camera Raw and the Raw Develop engine in AP.  In previous posts I have lamented the need to for Serif to up their game dramatically in their raw engine. I would have stayed with Affinity tools (I like personas) if there was a way for me to seamlessly do production photo editing, there is not.  I realize that I am part of a shrinking  demographic (photographer) so probably not going to get much love from Serif.
Your last comment "Lost opportunities in a studio without the proper tools. And the clock of Life is ticking." is exactly where I am.  I have changed tools to make my life easier and more productive!!!  The $$$ expendature is trivial in the bigger scheme of things.
More time shooting, less time editing...
I like your strategy quote, one of the things that we (previous business life) were very cognizant about was:  If you listen to your customers they will put you out of business!!!  Read Christensen and his concept of originally Disruptive Technologies, now Disruptive Innovation (Disruptive Innovation describes a process by which a product or service initially takes root in simple applications at the bottom of a market—typically by being less expensive and more accessible—and then relentlessly moves upmarket, eventually displacing established competitors.).  It may be that Serif thinks that the Affinity tools are indeed a Disruptive Innovation, they are not...

Really glad I stumbled on this thread — Vectorstyler seems to be exactly what I need! Thanks community!

Rubbish. It is missing exactly as many tools as customers complain about! You have to do anything MANUALLY and you may survive that when doing simple stuff but the moment you work with something even the least complex or have to reuse something complex in a different perspective in vector, it's manual work all the way to the finish.
In other words, as a creative you are severely limited and have to spend an eternity on things that can be achieved with a few clicks away in another program.
Designer does nothing different with vector. It just has almost no vector tools, that's obvious to anyone. You've paid little money for few vector features. There's no real escape from that fact, and there's certainly no rhetorical one either.
Ergo, several features have been requested longingly and passionately for years. Ergo, someone recommends a complementary program. Take it or leave it. 
Well, there is one thing Designer does differently. It's the algorithms in Boolean operations. They are flawed.

It was more to clarify the need for Serif (and myself).
Hope you get your wish. 🙂

I have found it works as I suggest Paint Shop Pro, the logic that when there was no document I could throw the clipboard into the program as a new document in a split second was a huge help. That it couldn't be done with an open document was totally logical, and so I had to go to the menu where the option is not saved, but is at the top. There is not much room for guesswork. It's right at your fingertips.
But we're talking about functionality for creatives who do a lot of small image operations that can easily go through clipboard, and many times, and these rigid bureaucratic workflows get in the way of fast process. 
We are also users who actually close documents before we work further. If Affinity had a Close all it might also be the case for Serif's customers from time to time, but it does NOT.
Well look @Pšenda, when people unite and explore possibilities, something happens. Opposition alone accomplishes nothing. Not a bad suggestion! 🙂
Another option that should be possible along with many others is that it's possible to add it to the toolbar, so you can get the image in a bit faster without a menu. Of course, you can do that in ... can you guess it... Vectorstyler! Not being part of a huge group of creatives chained for 10-20 years to a company's fixed design decisions and comprises:

 

When exporting using the Export Persona, it would be useful to be able to specify the maximum image dimensions and for the exported image to be sized to fit within those dimensions but maintaining its current aspect ratio.
For example, I would specify 1600(w) x 1200(h) (common size for photo club submissions) and the results would be:
- Original image 6000(w)x4500(h) would be exported as 1600(w)x1200(h)
- Original image 4500(w)x6000(h) would be exported as 900(w)x1200(h)
- Original image 6000(w)x2000(h) would be exported as 1600(w)x533(h)
 

I have found it works as I suggest Paint Shop Pro, the logic that when there was no document I could throw the clipboard into the program as a new document in a split second was a huge help. That it couldn't be done with an open document was totally logical, and so I had to go to the menu where the option is not saved, but is at the top. There is not much room for guesswork. It's right at your fingertips.
But we're talking about functionality for creatives who do a lot of small image operations that can easily go through clipboard, and many times, and these rigid bureaucratic workflows get in the way of fast process. 
We are also users who actually close documents before we work further. If Affinity had a Close all it might also be the case for Serif's customers from time to time, but it does NOT.
Well look @Pšenda, when people unite and explore possibilities, something happens. Opposition alone accomplishes nothing. Not a bad suggestion! 🙂
Another option that should be possible along with many others is that it's possible to add it to the toolbar, so you can get the image in a bit faster without a menu. Of course, you can do that in ... can you guess it... Vectorstyler! Not being part of a huge group of creatives chained for 10-20 years to a company's fixed design decisions and comprises:

 

I would like such option too. To bake the appearance violates the concept of building up geometry non destructive. 

A very small request, input:
It happens very often, I copy something to clipboard and start a program where I paste it directly. So not in a document, but AS a new document.
I would appreciate if programs like Affinity Designer (and Photo) in the state where there are no open documents, like after program start, when activating paste just does the same as New from clipboard. It's just easier, and I think people can easily understand that control + V with open documents doesn't do the same as with no open documents.
It's something that will make life a little bit easier in the many, many operations I do over the course of a working day.
The default shortcut to paste New from clipboard is long, nobody remembers it, and then you have to go to the menu with pointers anyway.

Use cases where you other hand is NOT near the keyboard - people don't sit and work like statue all the time Use cases on a laptop in a cramped environment (airplane or train) where reaching and using the required keys is not easy (believe it or not, but productive people working for money, moving between desks, from and to clients or locations do not sit at a desk with a complete setup alle the time). Use cases where the user does not have that other hand at all or has a non-functional arm due to disabilities When you just don't remember the shortcut for something like export and a button is the faster choice It is very common with usage scenarios where you either rely mostly on keyboard shortcuts or mostly on the mouse. Therefore BOTH exist. It is not necessarily only for combination. Etc. I missed those buttons a million times. See the pattern? Your starting point is yourself, your own limited use and an unbridled need to comment in here. You could certainly benefit from listening and investigating, as you simply cannot provide qualified help or qualified input without knowing something.
We are not discussing whether the interface should be colored in pink or purged of binary references, but about something as simple and widespread as undo buttons and customization of a few more. I don't get what you're contributing.
You asked - but not in the knowledge-seeking, curious way.
It does in my real life computer setup, so yes, it does. And as hundreds of millions of people discovered the last 50 years, it is a huge benefit when working with computers.
With your ending statement/question, I am qualifiedly convinced that you and I don't have much in common or to talk about. I'm not used to this Twitter level. Again the famous rock bottom level where I or others have to take a stand on such nonsense was reached. It is simply not serious enough. Period.

Use cases where you other hand is NOT near the keyboard - people don't sit and work like statue all the time Use cases on a laptop in a cramped environment (airplane or train) where reaching and using the required keys is not easy (believe it or not, but productive people working for money, moving between desks, from and to clients or locations do not sit at a desk with a complete setup alle the time). Use cases where the user does not have that other hand at all or has a non-functional arm due to disabilities When you just don't remember the shortcut for something like export and a button is the faster choice It is very common with usage scenarios where you either rely mostly on keyboard shortcuts or mostly on the mouse. Therefore BOTH exist. It is not necessarily only for combination. Etc. I missed those buttons a million times. See the pattern? Your starting point is yourself, your own limited use and an unbridled need to comment in here. You could certainly benefit from listening and investigating, as you simply cannot provide qualified help or qualified input without knowing something.
We are not discussing whether the interface should be colored in pink or purged of binary references, but about something as simple and widespread as undo buttons and customization of a few more. I don't get what you're contributing.
You asked - but not in the knowledge-seeking, curious way.
It does in my real life computer setup, so yes, it does. And as hundreds of millions of people discovered the last 50 years, it is a huge benefit when working with computers.
With your ending statement/question, I am qualifiedly convinced that you and I don't have much in common or to talk about. I'm not used to this Twitter level. Again the famous rock bottom level where I or others have to take a stand on such nonsense was reached. It is simply not serious enough. Period.

It's really not my experience with Vectorstyler, certainly not with simple operations, and I do use it daily and a lot, but we hardly use the program for the same purpose and in the same way, so those interested will have to try it out in the trial version and see if they experience any problems. It is pointless to post back and forth about it in the empty theoretical space.
But again again again ... again. I personally use it to get ALL the features that are NOT in Affinity Designer, as a supplement to Affinity Designer. Vectorstyler is continually improving and helping me more and more to SOLVE MY DESIGN TASKS, the next big upgrade of Affinity will determine if I stay with Designer. Designer's share of my work is steadily declining. Simply because of what it can do and how fast it can do it. 
It all gets so black and white in here. But blocked by serious bugs with no hope of fixing, you have to go another way. Of course.
That was my last post in this thread. 🙂

You can assign a keyboard shortcut for each studio.