Affinity Designer Workbook - Which Version is it Based On?

[Speed]

Hi,

I was thinking of buying the Affinity Designer Workbook, but first can anyone tell me which version of Affinity Designer it's based on?

As new versions of AD are released, I'd imagine the book could become quickly outdated.

= Steve

[Joachim_L]

From what I can see on some sample pages it seems to be, that the book is based on 1.6.x. For example the missing Targa export, which came with 1.7.2.

[Speed]

31 minutes ago, Joachim_L said:

From what I can see on some sample pages it seems to be, that the book is based on 1.6.x. For example the missing Targa export, which came with 1.7.2.

Thanks.

That's the problem with physical books.  Unless they're updated for new releases they lose some of their relevance.

The Australian price for the book currently works out to be $100, so I don't want to buy a book that is already out of date.

= Steve

 

[walt.farrell]

Serif makes updates to the books to incorporate anything they think is a critical change to how the sample projects work or how the interface works.

I think it's important to understand that the workbooks are not (and are not intended to be) manuals. It is not their purpose to show/explain everything about the applications. Their primary purpose is to give the user a set of worked example projects, to help them learn more about how to use the applications.

As it is not a manual, and has never shown everything about the applications, changes in the application have relatively little effect on the content of the workbooks.

[thomaso]

5 hours ago, Speed said:

which version of Affinity Designer it's based on?

The imprint of the 2016 edition says Edition 1.0, made with AD 1.5 and higher.

22 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

Serif makes updates to the books

Sure? Where can one find – before buying – the current ISBN or the numbers/years of updated workbook editions? The Serif site doesn't seem to mention this.

[walt.farrell]

8 minutes ago, thomaso said:

Sure? Where can one find – before buying – the current ISBN or the numbers/years of updated workbook editions? The Serif site doesn't seem to mention this.

Yes, I'm sure. Various Serif staff members have commented on that in the past. But there's no way to be sure what you'll get, that I know of.

[thomaso]

Just now, walt.farrell said:

there's no way to be sure what you'll get, that I know of.

That would be pretty strange for books. Usually a book update gets a note like "2nd edition", or "NEW" just for sales support.

When searching for the title there are two ISBNs (English / German) only, which would mean there are no updates around. ISNB are unique, an update in content requires an update of its ISBN.

Serif appears to hide / not to mention even for its Affinity software the current version in their Affinity Store and shopping cart (different to the Apple Store), while in the product page with some red "New" labels there is just a small footnote "New = Functionality new to version 1.8."

[Speed]

Hi Walt,

Thanks for responding. 

 

12 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

Serif makes updates to the books to incorporate anything they think is a critical change to how the sample projects work or how the interface works.

I think it's important to understand that the workbooks are not (and are not intended to be) manuals. It is not their purpose to show/explain everything about the applications. Their primary purpose is to give the user a set of worked example projects, to help them learn more about how to use the applications.

My issue is, how would I know that without seeing what's in the book?  The page doesn't really show that much.

12 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

As it is not a manual, and has never shown everything about the applications, changes in the application have relatively little effect on the content of the workbooks.

Well, this page (attached) says that it covers every tool.  Surely, with subsequent releases of Affinity Designer there might be new tools added, so it would definitely have an effect on the workbook.

A PDF version would be a great option because that means it could be easily updated.  And I prefer reading books on the Kindle app on my iPad anyway so that would really suit me.  It means I can take all of my books wherever I go.

= Steve

[walt.farrell]

23 minutes ago, Speed said:

A PDF version would be a great option because that means it could be easily updated.  And I prefer reading books on the Kindle app on my iPad anyway so that would really suit me.  It means I can take all of my books wherever I go.

Many people have asked for PDF (or epub) versions, but Serif seems quite steadfast in resisting. One possible reason, of course, is that they can't prevent people who buy the digital version from sharing it with others, cutting into Serif's revenue.

Another that I think I've seen Serif mention is that with a printed book they have better control over the colors that you see, since they don't have to depend on how well calibrated your computer screen or your iPad is.

25 minutes ago, Speed said:

Well, this page (attached) says that it covers every tool.  Surely, with subsequent releases of Affinity Designer there might be new tools added, so it would definitely have an effect on the workbook.

And that's the kind of situation where they might update the book.

[MikeW]

8 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

Many people have asked for PDF (or epub) versions, but Serif seems quite steadfast in resisting. One possible reason, of course, is that they can't prevent people who buy the digital version from sharing it with others, cutting into Serif's revenue.

eBooks, and/or app versions, sold through the platform stores and/or Amazon are tied to accounts/users.

I see no downside, only an upside. They can be easily updated and the users always use the current version. 

Of course, they couldn't use PagePlus or APub to create them...

[Speed]

Hi Walt,

1 hour ago, walt.farrell said:

And that's the kind of situation where they might update the book.

So what you're saying is that I can confidently purchase the current workbook in the safe knowledge that it covers all tools for the current version of Affinity Designer (Version 1.8.4).

Excellent.  Then I'll go ahead and purchase it.

Thanks.

= Steve

 

 

[walt.farrell]

26 minutes ago, Speed said:

Hi Walt,

So what you're saying is that I can confidently purchase the current workbook in the safe knowledge that it covers all tools for the current version of Affinity Designer (Version 1.8.4).

Excellent.  Then I'll go ahead and purchase it.

 

 

I'm saying that Serif has said they're updating the books when, in their judgment, an update is needed. But only someone from Serif would know for sure. 

[Speed]

2 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

I'm saying that Serif has said they're updating the books when, in their judgment, an update is needed. But only someone from Serif would know for sure. 

Ok, I'll ask Serif about this.

Thanks.

= Steve

 

[LordDarkenon]

So has anyone established which version of Affinity Designer the workbook is based on (and whether the books have ever been updated since they were originally published?)

[walt.farrell]

1 hour ago, LordDarkenon said:

So has anyone established which version of Affinity Designer the workbook is based on (and whether the books have ever been updated since they were originally published?)

Serif have said that it has been updated when necessary to account for changes. I don't know what level it was last modified for.

But note that the Workbooks are not manuals. They do not show nor explain everything, and are not intended to do so. Primarily they are worked examples (tutorials) that you can follow along with that demonstrate some of the functions of the applications. Unless a change directly affects something that's shown in the Workbook, no updates are needed.

[ACDesignStudio]

On 8/6/2020 at 8:35 PM, Speed said:

Hi Walt,

So what you're saying is that I can confidently purchase the current workbook in the safe knowledge that it covers all tools for the current version of Affinity Designer (Version 1.8.4).

Excellent.  Then I'll go ahead and purchase it.

Thanks.

= Steve

 

 

Hi Steve: How has your experience with the Designer Workbook been? I'm on the fence about buying it, as I've been for years. With the upcoming Black Friday sale, I'm considering it again. What is the most recent updated date? Do you know?

[Speed]

55 minutes ago, ACDesignerStudio said:

Hi Steve: How has your experience with the Designer Workbook been? I'm on the fence about buying it, as I've been for years. With the upcoming Black Friday sale, I'm considering it again. What is the most recent updated date? Do you know?

Hi,

Actually I never did end up purchasing it, mainly because the cost for me would be over $100 and money has been tight.  I'm interested in the Black Friday sale too so if the price is right I might get it.

= Steve

[Andreas Scherer]

I've bought a used copy of the Affinity Designer Workbook (Version 1.0, 2017, German translation) on eBay for 19,– Euros.

[PaulEC]

On 11/17/2021 at 12:09 PM, walt.farrell said:

Serif have said that it has been updated when necessary to account for changes.

The problem with this is that it doesn't help people who bought an earlier version of the book(s). Considering the cost of them, very few people are likely to be willing to pay for another, newer version, which probably only has minor updates. I haven't bought any of the workbooks myself (due to the cost) but I do understand that, as Walt says, they are workbooks, using basic principles, rather than comprehensive manuals. Personally, I would like to have been able to buy eBook versions which were updated (for free) when changes were made.

[Andreas Scherer]

I've bought the “Affinity Publisher Workbook” (First Edition in German) directly from Serif a few weeks ago (delivered through Amazon in no time). It's a really great book. I have finished the first tutorial from scratch and I wish I had more time to dig into the rest RSN. As a first edition (and a translation at that), the book does contain typos and omissions (IMHO), but it's cool to be able to submit bug reports to the Affinity Forums and get positive feedback.

I don't worry that the information in this workbook would loose its value in the years to come. In the general line of my profession, I have many “books of age”, e.g., my dead-tree copies of “The Art of Computer Programming” and “Computers & Typesetting” are more than twenty years old (although the author keeps fixing bugs and publishing corrections on his site and recently new editions of both series were released) and I pick them up regularly.

For current and up-to-date information of the three Affinity programs, I regularly consult the inline and online manual, which gets updated with each release.

[ACDesignStudio]

5 hours ago, Andreas Scherer said:

I've bought the “Affinity Publisher Workbook” (First Edition in German) directly from Serif a few weeks ago (delivered through Amazon in no time). It's a really great book. I have finished the first tutorial from scratch and I wish I had more time to dig into the rest RSN. As a first edition (and a translation at that), the book does contain typos and omissions (IMHO), but it's cool to be able to submit bug reports to the Affinity Forums and get positive feedback.

I don't worry that the information in this workbook would loose its value in the years to come. In the general line of my profession, I have many “books of age”, e.g., my dead-tree copies of “The Art of Computer Programming” and “Computers & Typesetting” are more than twenty years old (although the author keeps fixing bugs and publishing corrections on his site and recently new editions of both series were released) and I pick them up regularly.

For current and up-to-date information of the three Affinity programs, I regularly consult the inline and online manual, which gets updated with each release.

Thanks for sharing your experience and opinion. It is a big help in making the decision whether or not to buy the AD workbook.

[ACDesignStudio]

6 hours ago, Andreas Scherer said:

I've bought a used copy (Version 1.0, 2017, German translation) on eBay for 19,– Euros.

Are you saying that you bought a used copy on Ebay and then recently bought another copy from Serif?

[ACDesignStudio]

On 8/6/2020 at 6:40 PM, Speed said:

Well, this page (attached) says that it covers every tool.  Surely, with subsequent releases of Affinity Designer there might be new tools added, so it would definitely have an effect on the workbook.

 

On 8/6/2020 at 7:08 PM, walt.farrell said:

And that's the kind of situation where they might update the book.

@walt.farrell  And if that's the case (since there certainly have been tools added since the book was published), and if they have updated the book at all, why not tell the users? So many love Affinity, me included. Shouldn't we, who love and support Affinity, be privy to the book updates info? Maybe many users would sell their old books and buy updated ones.

I do understand that broadcasting the update would reduce subsequent sales from those who equate the value of the book with the age of the updated version. There really doesn't seem to be any good solution that would protect the revenue of Serif while giving us what we want. As for the PDF/ebook versions request, I believe that the color integrity argument is valid.

The update issues will not stop me from buying the workbook if I decide to. I may buy it during Black Friday. I looked (because @Andreas Scherer bought one there) and the lowest used prices at Ebay are still not at or lower than the Black Friday sale. I'd rather have a new book. And I'm in the US so the price is lower. The best argument for the value of the aging book is what walt.farrell said. It can always be a general reference workbook, especially for a self-taught graphics designer like me. So, the workbook, along with the application help pages, these forums and YT vids provide all of the instruction that is needed. It's not all in one place, but that's ok.

[walt.farrell]

24 minutes ago, ACDesignerStudio said:

@walt.farrell  And if that's the case (since there certainly have been tools added since the book was published), and if they have updated the book at all, why not tell the users?

Someone from Serif would have to comment on that. Sorry; I have no information other than what they've said.

By the way, to "tag" someone like you're trying to do:

1. Type the @ sign.
2. Start typing their username slowly.
3. When you get the popup list, select the name you want and then press enter.
4. You'll get a highlighted field, like this, and the user will be notified: @ACDesignerStudio (if you do not have that highlight, you did not create the notification tag properly)

[Andreas Scherer]

1 hour ago, ACDesignerStudio said:

Are you saying that you bought a used copy on Ebay and then recently bought another copy from Serif?

No, I've bought the Affinity Publisher Workbook new from Serif and the Affinity Designer Workbook used on eBay.