Canva

[AffinityMakesMeWonder]

4 hours ago, MGF28 said:

This is terrible news. RIP Affinity, these things NEVER work out for the user, no matter how hard the CEO tries to spin it. So sad, they should have just raised their prices if they needed more a little more profit.

No, it can't be the money that brought Serif Ltd mentally broken...

Serif Ltd as a company has earned more than 45 million pounds (50m dollar) the last three years - pretty good for a really small company.

So, where have all the money been going? Not to speed up the slooooow development of Affinity Suite...

[dmstraker]

21 minutes ago, R C-R said:

Except that it has not done so for a lot of folks posting to this discussion.

Understandable. Which is why the words have to be followed up with aligned actions. And the actions communicated. Trust is in a delicate place now and needs lots of TLC.

[mehdy]

Canva buys Affinity,

Adobe buys Canva. 

End of story.

...

Who's going to pay the price of course us costumers.

[Patrick Connor]

@AffinityMakesMeSad

You need to stop telling everyone that they are wrong. Just let others say what they think about this. There are many people private messaging staff saying that they do not dare say what they want to because you are being so aggressive. Lots of people are not up for rough and tumble discussions and that is not what these forums are for. If you want an argument go elsewhere.

Express your opinions, fine, but do not tell others they cannot feel the way they say they do.

To other readers

As I am asking @AffinityMakesMeSad not to respond I would appreciate you not quoting their posts either, or I may have to hide them

[Patrick Connor]

To All Readers of this thread. Forum users (other than staff) can be ignored so you do not see their posts. The easiest way is using a desktop browser you hover over the avatar for the user and a pop-up shows some details for the user including an ignore option bottom right

[mehdy]

Just now, Patrick Connor said:

To All Readers of this thread. Forum users (other than staff) can be ignored so you do not see their posts. The easiest way is using a desktop browser you hover over the avatar for the user and a pop-up shows some details for the user including an ignore option bottom right

Thank you so much Patrick ☺️

[Patrick Connor]

If you want to STOP GETTING NOTIFICATIONS for this thread click HERE

[mehdy]

As Patrick said click ignore if you are on mobile choose show desktop view, hold on who want to ingonre you will get this as in image then choose all post etc and click update.

[Ash]

To address some of what is being said on this thread...

Firstly to be clear I'm not a founder, but have been with the company for 25 years. I'm officially appointed as Managing Director of the company, but also use CEO as my title as that is my role in terms of how other countries would view it.

Both Canva and us have made 100% clear we are committing to perpetual licences always being available. That will include V3 or any other future major upgrade of our apps which are released. What's more I will say with Canva's backing we are not under the same financial pressure we would have been to release a V3 anytime soon, meaning those of you using V2 will actually benefit from more features as free updates which may previously have been held back for a V3 if that makes sense. This is of great benefit from an engineering standpoint too as we are far better testing and releasing features in smaller chunks than saving them up to package up as a sellable upgrade. 

https://www.canva.com/newsroom/news/affinity-canva-pledge/

https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/27/24113423/affinity-canva-acquisition-pledge-license-price-subscription

https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/press/newsroom/affinity-and-canva-pledge/

As we have made clear there will at some point be a subscription option also which people can take if they choose to. I'm sure there will be additional benefits to that subscription in the future such as asset and document sync, sharing and collaboration and other things which naturally require a subscription as they are features which incur ongoing cost. It may also include other things which can be leveraged with a Canva subscription such as greater stock libraries of images, graphics and fonts. Hopefully that would just be considered reasonable and understandable. There will certainly not be any cynical cutting down of features or limitation of ongoing support in our existing apps just to force a subscription play.

I understand examples of previous acquisitions can make some of you fearful, but they are just historic examples - it has no bearing on what will happen in this case and we are genuinely doing something here which is very different and special. Everything I said on Tuesday, and what both Canva and us pledged yesterday, is 100% true and we are going to stand by it. That includes keeping our entire team here with no layoffs, and continuing to be based in Nottingham. 

If you want to believe this or not is up to you, I'm not sure what more we can say at this point to convince those who doubt it. We'll deliver on this over the coming months and years so whatever is being said right now I know it's going to be all good and assuming you are still using Affinity apps you will be happy with how they have developed and that we have continued to be fair and inclusive with our pricing.

Also to follow on from Patricks point - I can take some of the personal attacks on me, but I have to say some of the conduct on this thread with some of you being very quick to attack other community members just because they hold different opinions is really disheartening to see. You can absolutely give your opinion on this deal for sure, and we are happy to leave this as an open forum within reason, but that does mean being courteous to other forum members and not just repeating the same points over and over.

Thanks,

Ash
 

[KarinC]

Thank you @Ash. I feel a lot less worried now.

[Patrick Connor]

2 minutes ago, LondonSquirrel said:

• Nothing has changed as yet. Absolutely nothing.
• It's not yours to call horrible.
• I defend people making a success of something and earning money as a result, including by selling up. Good luck to them.
• We have seen the four pledges or promises or whatever you want to call them.
  1. You do not know if they will be fulfilled and neither do I.
  2. I have an optimistic view. You evidently do not. There should be no insults because of this difference.
• The accusations and snarly language that is being lobbed about will solve nothing.
• This is design software, not the Holy Grail. If, and that is an "if", Serif disappears I will be unhappy, just as I was when Apple's Aperture was discontinued. Life goes on.

Please stop quoting and arguing thank you

[mehdy]

10 minutes ago, Ash said:

To address some of what is being said on this thread...

Firstly to be clear I'm not a founder, but have been with the company for 25 years. I'm officially appointed as Managing Director of the company, but also use CEO as my title as that is my role in terms of how other countries would view it.

Both Canva and us have made 100% clear we are committing to perpetual licences always being available. That will include V3 or any other future major upgrade of our apps which are released. What's more I will say with Canva's backing we are not under the same financial pressure we would have been to release a V3 anytime soon, meaning those of you using V2 will actually benefit from more features as free updates which may previously have been held back for a V3 if that makes sense. This is of great benefit from an engineering standpoint too as we are far better testing and releasing features in smaller chunks than saving them up to package up as a sellable upgrade. 

https://www.canva.com/newsroom/news/affinity-canva-pledge/

https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/27/24113423/affinity-canva-acquisition-pledge-license-price-subscription

https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/press/newsroom/affinity-and-canva-pledge/

As we have made clear there will at some point be a subscription option also which people can take if they choose to. I'm sure there will be additional benefits to that subscription in the future such as asset and document sync, sharing and collaboration and other things which naturally require a subscription as they are features which incur ongoing cost. It may also include other things which can be leveraged with a Canva subscription such as greater stock libraries of images, graphics and fonts. Hopefully that would just be considered reasonable and understandable. There will certainly not be any cynical cutting down of features or limitation of ongoing support in our existing apps just to force a subscription play.

I understand examples of previous acquisitions can make some of you fearful, but they are just historic examples - it has no bearing on what will happen in this case and we are genuinely doing something here which is very different and special. Everything I said on Tuesday, and what both Canva and us pledged yesterday, is 100% true and we are going to stand by it. That includes keeping our entire team here with no layoffs, and continuing to be based in Nottingham. 

If you want to believe this or not is up to you, I'm not sure what more we can say at this point to convince those who doubt it. We'll deliver on this over the coming months and years so whatever is being said right now I know it's going to be all good and assuming you are still using Affinity apps you will be happy with how they have developed and that we have continued to be fair and inclusive with our pricing.

Also to follow on from Patricks point - I can take some of the personal attacks on me, but I have to say some of the conduct on this thread with some of you being very quick to attack other community members just because they hold different opinions is really disheartening to see. You can absolutely give your opinion on this deal for sure, and we are happy to leave this as an open forum within reason, but that does mean being courteous to other forum members and not just repeating the same points over and over.

Thanks,

Ash
 

Thank you so much for this clarification, as it will be 2 potions for those who want to use affinity suite as it it without that cloud and syncing or stock will be one time payment, and for those who needs canva stuff like cloud and AI etc they can subscribe to this plan, 

Is it correct Mr Ash?

[R C-R]

3 minutes ago, Ash said:

Firstly to be clear I'm not a founder, but have been with the company for 25 years.

I think I am the only one who mistakenly wrote that you were a founder, so I apologize for that. It was just something I read somewhere on some web page that clearly got it wrong, & I did not check to see if it was accurate info like I should have.

[AffinityMakesMeWonder]

7 minutes ago, Ash said:

To address some of what is being said on this thread...

Firstly to be clear I'm not a founder, but have been with the company for 25 years. I'm officially appointed as Managing Director of the company, but also use CEO as my title as that is my role in terms of how other countries would view it.

Both Canva and us have made 100% clear we are committing to perpetual licences always being available. That will include V3 or any other future major upgrade of our apps which are released. What's more I will say with Canva's backing we are not under the same financial pressure we would have been to release a V3 anytime soon, meaning those of you using V2 will actually benefit from more features as free updates which may previously have been held back for a V3 if that makes sense. This is of great benefit from an engineering standpoint too as we are far better testing and releasing features in smaller chunks than saving them up to package up as a sellable upgrade. 

https://www.canva.com/newsroom/news/affinity-canva-pledge/

https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/27/24113423/affinity-canva-acquisition-pledge-license-price-subscription

https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/press/newsroom/affinity-and-canva-pledge/

As we have made clear there will at some point be a subscription option also which people can take if they choose to. I'm sure there will be additional benefits to that subscription in the future such as asset and document sync, sharing and collaboration and other things which naturally require a subscription as they are features which incur ongoing cost. It may also include other things which can be leveraged with a Canva subscription such as greater stock libraries of images, graphics and fonts. Hopefully that would just be considered reasonable and understandable. There will certainly not be any cynical cutting down of features or limitation of ongoing support in our existing apps just to force a subscription play.

I understand examples of previous acquisitions can make some of you fearful, but they are just historic examples - it has no bearing on what will happen in this case and we are genuinely doing something here which is very different and special. Everything I said on Tuesday, and what both Canva and us pledged yesterday, is 100% true and we are going to stand by it. That includes keeping our entire team here with no layoffs, and continuing to be based in Nottingham. 

If you want to believe this or not is up to you, I'm not sure what more we can say at this point to convince those who doubt it. We'll deliver on this over the coming months and years so whatever is being said right now I know it's going to be all good and assuming you are still using Affinity apps you will be happy with how they have developed and that we have continued to be fair and inclusive with our pricing.

Also to follow on from Patricks point - I can take some of the personal attacks on me, but I have to say some of the conduct on this thread with some of you being very quick to attack other community members just because they hold different opinions is really disheartening to see. You can absolutely give your opinion on this deal for sure, and we are happy to leave this as an open forum within reason, but that does mean being courteous to other forum members and not just repeating the same points over and over.

Thanks,

Ash
 

Ash - everything "you" promise here, is that written in a buyout-contract between the former Serif-owner and Canva?

Because - if it ain't an written commitment, there's nothing that can't be changed down the road...

You may excuse me, but I'm enormous skeptical to all this Affinity/Canva future...

[Frances Proctor]

Another Software company that sells out   I came to Affinity  because of the crapshow that become Xara and its product line when they sold out to Magix  

Now Affinity  have done the same  just wait til canvas start bolting on their crappy add ons Canvaffinity here we come

Just wait til Canva starts cutting costs whereever and whoever they can

Just wait til there is a subscription fee snuck in first as an optional thing but before you know it you will need that subscription to get the best new features and new content 

So where do we go now ?  For me I  am  now a hobbiest  and  once the  crap show begins just like magix did with Xara  I will find a new hobby 

I have seen this before now we are about to see it again  Apparently the folks at Affinity didn't learn from Xara's mistakes   Because no matter what you promise now You are no longer calling the shots the software,  the company and your loyal customers are now at Canva' s  mercy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[monzo]

22 minutes ago, Ash said:

There will certainly not be any cynical cutting down of features or limitation of ongoing support in our existing apps just to force a subscription play.

Good to hear. There’s enough uncertainty and spiralling costs spinning around the UK for businesses at the moment, so I feel a bit more reassured that I can tick software worries off the list.

And hopefully we can still access downloads for our V1 purchases as (most of us) can at present.

Thank you.

[R.I.P. Affinity 26.03.2024]

1 hour ago, Elian Gonzalez said:

Well, here's a scenario to add to your anxiety: for exisiting Affinity customers, we'll be offered a stand-alone license for version 3 of the suite. But for *new* customers, they will likely be pushed to a subscription model (Canva Ultra Pro or some some thing) that offers you the Affinity suite plus Canva stuff. Eventually, though, existing license holders will be shoehorned into this model. (Keyword watch: "grandfathered", which NEVER means what we pretend it does.)

Affinity users are 1-2% of all the Canvians. It worth nothing for them.

[Bryan Rieger]

1 hour ago, Ash said:

What's more I will say with Canva's backing we are not under the same financial pressure we would have been to release a V3 anytime soon, meaning those of you using V2 will actually benefit from more features as free updates which may previously have been held back for a V3 if that makes sense. This is of great benefit from an engineering standpoint too as we are far better testing and releasing features in smaller chunks than saving them up to package up as a sellable upgrade. 

…

As we have made clear there will at some point be a subscription option also which people can take if they choose to. I'm sure there will be additional benefits to that subscription in the future such as asset and document sync, sharing and collaboration and other things which naturally require a subscription as they are features which incur ongoing cost. It may also include other things which can be leveraged with a Canva subscription such as greater stock libraries of images, graphics and fonts. 

Thanks again @Ash (and @Patrick Connor), the comment about being relieved of financial pressures setting the schedule is so important. If this enables Serif to release smaller, more frequent updates then I'm hoping we'll soon start to see both many of the long standing features requests being delivered upon, but also an increased focus on bug fixes, UI/UX issues, and stabilization.

I have to admit, the more I look at Canva the more I'm seeing lots of possibilities with the Affinity suite — especially having access to their extensive font library. Also, the idea of optional cloud storage is actually quite enticing, especially if that were to be able to be tied into various client Canva accounts.

--

BTW I've been playing with Canva a little more over the past few days, and I've actually come to quite like it for what it is (I'm even thinking of adopting it for social media content). An extremely accessible application that enables anybody to quickly (and cost-effectively) create effective content and messaging without the steep learning curve and overhead of traditional design apps. I also love the idea that the Affinity suite will be available to education and non-profits at no cost, which is really exciting as Canva is used extensively in both verticals, and while there is increased complexity with the Affinity Suite, it is still far more approachable than the competition.

Exciting times. 👍

[mb6391]

I agree with the sentiments re Xara - I'm an ex-user.

All we can do folks is take Ash on what he has stated. It's not for us to request/demand to view what was in the Sales Contract - it's priviliged for goodness sake.

Please can we chill out about this. It's a done deal and if you're uncomfortable about the future of Affinity, for whatever reason, then maybe it's time to move on. Okay, moving on is going to be more than an inconvenience but so be it.

I'll stay with Affinity and should I start smelling a rat then I'll move on. I have no wish for subscription or cloud based software. But for now I'll give Ash and the Affinity Team the benefit of some of our doubts albeit we all know that things can change.

[debraspicher]

I have a portion of the thread on ignore and have always tidied up forums this way. I recommend it for readability (for your own relevant situation). You're not missing anything, just social media behavior and can unclick and respond when it does become relevant to you. There are a number of us who will gladly not pull you into arguments and waste your time who don't necessarily agree on everything.

[R C-R]

1 minute ago, Bryan Rieger said:

... I'm hoping we'll soon start to see both many of the long standing features requests being delivered upon, but also an increased focus on bug fixes, UI/UX issues, and stabilization.

For me, bug fixes are the most critical part of the apps that should get the highest priority, particularly those that adversely affect the stability of the apps that can result in lost work.

[debraspicher]

3 minutes ago, R C-R said:

For me, bug fixes are the most critical part of the apps that should get the highest priority, particularly those that adversely affect the stability of the apps that can result in lost work.

@Ash Please please please tell us something regarding addressing the bugs and please let it be an aggressive move... ask Canva if they know anyone in pest control.

[Bryan Rieger]

7 minutes ago, R C-R said:

For me, bug fixes are the most critical part of the apps that should get the highest priority, particularly those that adversely affect the stability of the apps that can result in lost work.

As I seem to have no more reactions available to me today, I'm just going to echo both @R C-R and @debraspicher's comments. Getting a handle on the ever increasing bug count and prioritizing stability must be a priority going forward.

[mehdy]

After reading @Ash's response, I feel reassured and confident about the future of Affinity, a softwares and platform we deeply loved. His clarification couldn't have come at a better time, restoring our hopes for Affinity's evolution since its inception with Version 1. I believe that maintaining a one-time payment model for Affinity would be fantastic for the community, fostering expansion. Additionally, the option for subscription-based access to cloud services or other extras from Canva could be beneficial for those who require them in the future. Overall, I am feeling calm and optimistic about the path ahead.

[Intuos5]

9 minutes ago, debraspicher said:

@Ash Please please please tell us something regarding addressing the bugs and please let it be an aggressive move... ask Canva if they know anyone in pest control.

Very much agree with this - and it would be nice to further streamline some of the pain points in the applications (like the lack of a vector eraser and perhaps a dedicated isolation mode). These are things that require elaborate workarounds. Fortunately, development seems to have already shifted in this direction. Hope this continues to improve with the new, shorter release cycle.

Also, I appreciate the more down to earth, less PR curated messaging.