Canva

[albertkinng]

I'm out, guys. I'll be back when Affinity and Canva became one platform.

[R C-R]

2 hours ago, albertkinng said:

I'm out, guys. I'll be back when Affinity and Canva became one platform.

??? Affinity is a suite of 3 applications that run locally on user devices. Canva is a number of web-based services. How can they become one platform?

[Chills]

6 hours ago, albertkinng said:

I'm out, guys. I'll be back when Affinity and Canva became one platform.

I think most of us will be out if Affinity and Canva do become one platform.

[R C-R]

3 minutes ago, Chills said:

I think most of us will be out if Affinity and Canva do become one platform.

Are you thinking about Affinity no longer being offered as applications that run locally & becoming just another part of Canva's web-based services or something else?

[William Overington]

4 hours ago, R C-R said:

How can they become one platform?

I suppose that a version of the Affinity programs could run on a website and a logged on user could use it as a web application, sending output as an email attachment or uploaded to another website or downloaded to local storage.

This could be useful if one is using a shared computer.

William

 

[Chills]

14 minutes ago, R C-R said:

Are you thinking about Affinity no longer being offered as applications that run locally & becoming just another part of Canva's web-based services or something else?

I was thinking if the Affinity brand (and or web site) is absorbed into Canva. I think that most Affinity users, contrary  @albertkinng  comment don't want to be closely associated with Canva, much less having to go to a Canva web site to get affinity , never mind having to use it on-line or on a subscription.

[R C-R]

2 minutes ago, Chills said:

I was thinking if the Affinity brand (and or web site) is absorbed into Canva. ...

If "absorbed" then what? This sounds like an uncompleted if/then statement to me.

But beyond that, Canva now owns all of Serif's assets, including the Affinity brand & the affinity serif.com web domain, so we still need to go to a Canva-owned web site to get updates, at least if we bought from the Affinity Store, or to participate in these forums.

[pixelstuff]

5 hours ago, R C-R said:

??? Affinity is a suite of 3 applications that run locally on user devices. Canva is a number of web-based services. How can they become one platform?

I don't know. Photopea is an app that loads in the browser, but functions almost like a local app.

[William Overington]

Yet if the same perpetual fee gets you what you have now and in addition has you also being able to use Affinity programs on a web facility if you choose to do so, then that could be very good.

For example, if you happen to be in a public library and you could use a library open access computer to use an Affinity program using the web version.

Then when you get home be able to download the file to your local computer and continue.

William

 

 

 

[R C-R]

1 hour ago, pixelstuff said:

Photopea is an app that loads in the browser, but functions almost like a local app.

In the "About" part of https://www.photopea.com Photopea is described as a free online editor.

[nezumi]

Its funny how you delete posts with obvious jokes where we could have some fun, but "doom and gloom", "the end is near!", "Canva bad" type of posts are welcomed.

Beating a completely dead horse, making countless, baseless (but always negative) predictions, complete fantasies - that is all good. Now its "Canva absorbes Affinity and becomes one"... Ow boy...

If I called that "prediction" by name I would break "community rules".
So I am NOT saying that.
But you know what I think about it, dont you? It starts with "S".
But I am not saying that, no sir!
I mean I wouldnt want anybody to be offended! No way.

And also - yes I am making fun from the childish tone of presentation - so? Deleting posts will not make it any better is it?

But you know what else you will not change with deleting posts?
Fact that I really like and support Affinity.  I was there day one when it showed up on PC, I spent long hours testing pen tool when it was crashing both apps, going back and forth with devs till it got fixed. I was there purchasing Publisher even if I dont need it at all - just to support Affinity. And re-purchasing Affinity 2 without thinking twice.

And I am here when Canva bought you - still not making you-know-what-kind of predictions (still didnt said any word that could offend anybody).

And I will be as long as Affinity will be as good software as it is. I am with you through thick and thin keeping the faith in the future of Affinity (while cracking a few jokes on the way - guilty as charged). Its not unconditional love - Affinity is just a tool. But really good one. You keep it this way and I am with you no matter how many silly posts you delete.

I am just baffled a little bit that you rather allow endless flood of posts by doomsayers who clearly do not believe in you then people who are with you no matter what, cracking some lighthearted jokes. An interesting choice for sure.

[pixelstuff]

1 hour ago, nezumi said:

Its funny how you delete posts with obvious jokes where we could have some fun, but "doom and gloom", "the end is near!", "Canva bad" type of posts are welcomed.

Beating a completely dead horse, making countless, baseless (but always negative) predictions, complete fantasies - that is all good. Now its "Canva absorbes Affinity and becomes one"... Ow boy...

If I called that "prediction" by name I would break "community rules".
So I am NOT saying that.
But you know what I think about it, dont you? It starts with "S".
But I am not saying that, no sir!
I mean I wouldnt want anybody to be offended! No way.

And also - yes I am making fun from the childish tone of presentation - so? Deleting posts will not make it any better is it?

But you know what else you will not change with deleting posts?
Fact that I really like and support Affinity.  I was there day one when it showed up on PC, I spent long hours testing pen tool when it was crashing both apps, going back and forth with devs till it got fixed. I was there purchasing Publisher even if I dont need it at all - just to support Affinity. And re-purchasing Affinity 2 without thinking twice.

And I am here when Canva bought you - still not making you-know-what-kind of predictions (still didnt said any word that could offend anybody).

And I will be as long as Affinity will be as good software as it is. I am with you through thick and thin keeping the faith in the future of Affinity (while cracking a few jokes on the way - guilty as charged). Its not unconditional love - Affinity is just a tool. But really good one. You keep it this way and I am with you no matter how many silly posts you delete.

I am just baffled a little bit that you rather allow endless flood of posts by doomsayers who clearly do not believe in you then people who are with you no matter what, cracking some lighthearted jokes. An interesting choice for sure.

I must have missed the jokes getting muted. I thought they were just muting personal insults.

[nezumi]

45 minutes ago, pixelstuff said:

just muting personal insults.

Possibly I have missed the moment when quoting song from kids show - while not directing it at anybody in particular - was redefined as a "personal insult".
Therefore I want to make public apology to entire Fraggles community that was offended by this cultural appropriation. I should know better.

That is the sort of "personal insult" I used in such uncivilized manner. I also mocked the "this is the end of Affinity" doomsayers - not particularly anybody but as a whole. Because we do have this doomsday predictions on the forum. "Canva will do this, Canva will do that". Or my favorite of them all - completely hypothetical "but what is Canva did this?". Making up situation and discuss eventuality no matter how outlandish or outright impossible it was.

How about that - what if Canva and Affinity become one and only option to create designs? What if Adobe will bankrupt, free alternatives stop to be developed and the only thing that will be left - will be Canva. With weekly payment. Should we discuss that ridiculous, made up, based on nothing, 100% fictional option like it was about to happen? Because in all that doom and gloom posts this is what is happening. Making up some non existing situations and discussing them like it was happening.

I would have thought Affinity forum had more Affinity supporters. It honestly doesnt look that bad, does it? I mean reality not fictional nonsense "but it could happen that...". So why so much whining, so much negativity. Didnt people bought Affinity because they like it? I dont say lets all be happy because of the Canva situation but nothing bad is happening.

Where I live we can have at ANY moment an earthquake. Should we then start running around screaming and crying because eventually something MAY happen?.. I guess so.

[Patrick Connor]

11 hours ago, nezumi said:

I am just baffled a little bit that you rather allow endless flood of posts by doomsayers who clearly do not believe in you.....

This is a big shock to many. They need to process it and guess what the consequences will be, and some need to express those opinions, which is all they are. There's so many many posts in here speculating and guessing what might happen, which I would love to say are just plain wrong, but until something actually happens we would just be back and forthing about unprovable opinions.

I feel sad that so many are suspicious and I think Affinity will be upholding Ash's 4 pledges in ways most are happy to see. 

Deleting the more negative posts from this thread would simply make those same users be able to also say we silence criticism, and we don't. Many of those same users also participate very positively in other areas of the forums and I appreciate that and don't want that to stop. If negativity here keeps the rest of the forums functioning I would take that.

[Alfred]

5 hours ago, Patrick Connor said:

I feel sad that so many are suspicious and I think Affinity will be upholding Ash's 4 pledges in ways most are happy to see.

I feel sad about that, too. I also feel sad that off-topic posts were all deleted rather than being split off where possible.

Some posts obviously had to go, since they broke forum rules about ways to interact with other users. Other posts reminiscing about Fraggle Rock clearly didn’t fall into that category. Given that you used the Bagpuss character Professor Yaffle as your avatar on Serif’s old support site CommunityPlus, I feel sure that you can understand the reaction of some of us to what appears to have been overzealous pruning.

[Patrick Connor]

2 minutes ago, Alfred said:

..... I feel sure that you can understand....

Nope, I don't agree. Please don't assume what I think. This forum is about Affinity and more focussed than CommunityPlus. I have no problem with the deletion including my reply. If you want to discuss kids programmes there are many other places on the internet that accommodate that

[Alfred]

1 hour ago, Patrick Connor said:

Nope, I don't agree. Please don't assume what I think.

I didn’t say I felt sure you would agree, I said I felt sure you could understand. I absolutely wasn’t assuming that I knew what you think, but let’s leave it there.

[nezumi]

1 hour ago, Patrick Connor said:

imply make those same users be able to also say we silence criticism

That is very true. Personally I wouldn't like to silent any voices.

In any case - can we please be all more positive on the whole "take over", "buy out", "joining family" - whatever we want to call it. I am glad to see fixes are coming, cant wait for whats to come. I will try to be more active on betas as for personal reasons I couldn't test a lot in recent times. I mean lets enjoy Affinity. Its a fantastic package. I dont see single reason why this should change in the nearest future. Unless for the better.

[okadrian]

I’ve been reading about Canva Shield and how Canva protects their users from infringement of IP challenges stemming from their AI design systems. Nice! What I liked about serif/Affinity way more than the pricing structure, is that they were a small company doing a good job. Irrespective of the direction the development goes under Canva they are no longer the company that I was proud to champion. Reading between the lines about their creator community and AI training I’m expecting to see Uber for graphic designers coming out of this, whilst at the same time the creative work we do being used to train their AI systems. It’s yet another race to the bottom for society. The levels of greed and control and manipulation at the heads of these global internet companies is wholly narcissistic and fundamentally unethical. 

So I say bring on the next challenger. 

[nezumi]

Here we go again. Making up fictional scenario and reacting to it like it was happening.

Do you have any example of described behavior based on something Canva actually did in the past? Or you are judging it by something other companies did?

For sake of this discussion lets play that game of baseless predictions and allegations. Lets apply that collective responsibility, lets say that "all companies are the same, eventually they will behave in similar fashion".

If so - there is no point in "bringing the new challenger". Whatever you choose - it will either disappear because was too small to compete with big guys or it will became one of the big guys and start behaving like the rest. Therefore its senseless to look for any other solution because we are doomed to one of the two scenarios eventually happening.

You have championed Affinity because they were small company, underdog so to speak. Would you like them to stay that way for ever? Because this forum is full of posts where people say what they would like to see implemented in Affinity. Countless propositions of stuff they saw in other software made by these big companies. So how you propose that should happen? Magically Affinity should stay that small underdog with really small price but at the same time, somehow, give us all the things big companies do?

It reminds me those clients who want everything cheap but as good as the expensive stuff. Quick but as good as things that take long time to make.

So now you want Affinity to stay small and cheap but at the same time give you things that require big company which makes expensive products.

I am sad to say this will not happen ever. Not with Affinity, not with any other software. Because that demand has fundamentally no sense at all.

[William Overington]

15 hours ago, pixelstuff said:

I must have missed the jokes getting muted. I thought they were just muting personal insults.

There was no reply from management on Monday.

I mentioned that it was a Bank Holiday in England on Monday.

Someone, clearly as fun, suggested that (therefore) get in the beer, start the dancing.

I linked to a YouTube video of some line dancing to the song Roll out the barrel.

It all got deleted.

For the avoidance of doubt I am not saying it was right or wrong for it to be deleted, I am just informing pixelstuff as to what happened.

William

 

[R C-R]

8 hours ago, okadrian said:

The levels of greed and control and manipulation at the heads of these global internet companies is wholly narcissistic and fundamentally unethical. 

How do you reconcile that with Canva's considerable charitable work (like the ~30 million they have contributed to GiveDirectly, the Canva Foundation, their participation in Pledge 1%, etc.); or that it makes its basic service available for free to everyone on the planet & its premium stuff available for free to non-profits & educational users?

[Bryan Rieger]

So I'm gonna pipe in with what is very likely an unpopular opinion here to try and balance things out.

Before the acquisition of Affinity by Canva my only experience with Canva was having to prepare assets for others to use, as well as provide a little art direction for folks from various disciplines; social media, marketing, community orgs, etc. Every time I logged into Canvas I cringed, and I made a point of spending as little time as possible there.

After the acquisition I decided to dig a little deeper into Canva; the product, the company, and the community. I tried to approach it with an open mind, and without all the years of baggage I have of using 'professional' design tools. Here's my takeaways:

The Product
I decided to take Canva up on their offer of a free 30 day Pro trial, rather than just use the free version. This includes things such as custom fonts, branding kits, resizing and translation of designs, and the ability to schedule social content (among other goodies). The (old) interface took a little getting used to as it was very simple, BUT something about it reminded me of using Apple's Keynote (especially the new interface). I LOVE Keynote in that it doesn't overwhelm you with features, but it still enables you to achieve impressive results. And it's FUN to use. For me, Canva has this same feel. It's fun. It might not be packed with 'professional' features, but it is very easy to quickly create something that looks good—even without using the avalanche of available templates or elements. Will it replace Affinity (or Adobe) for me, no, but it is an app that I am definitely going to add to my toolkit. After using it for the past month I have to say I can see why it is so beloved by its community. I hope Canva can help bring some of this 'fun' user experience to the Affinity apps. Not dumbing them down, but rather adding those little touches that delight and engage.

The Company
Now I've developed a general distrust of all tech companies in recent years, and I approached Canva with the same trepidation. I watched the Canva Create Musical, and to be honest I've seen worse (recent Adobe and Apple events come to mind). The thing I liked about it was that it didn't take itself too seriously, and it was instilled with the same FUN that I've come to know in the app itself. I'm also really impressed by their philanthropy, environmental initiatives, and their commitment to provide Canva and Affinity for free to non-profits and education. The last one is HUGE, and so important.

The Community
So this is the bit that blew me away. Canva is LOVED by its community, and (judging by social media interactions) Canva loves its community. So many folks around the world have used Canva to help create and run their businesses, community projects, side-hustles, hobbies, and freelance projects. It has enabled these people like no other tool has, and there are entire cottage industries built around Canva to provide templates, training, tutorials, artwork, consulting, etc. The fact that it's gaining traction in the enterprise is no surprise as folks will often initially use the tools they already know personally long before corporate purchasing enters the picture (see Slack, GitHub, etc). For marketing, growth and social media departments Canva is a no-brainer, especially if you're working with a team.

The Opportunity
So, essentially I've come away from this experiment with a new app in my toolkit. One that is fun and easy to use. One that is developed by a company with values that I'm generally aligned with (the AI stuff, not so much - but EVERYBODY is doing it for the moment), and one with a massive community that is fanatical about the product. For me, I see this as a massive opportunity to find ways to work with orgs and enterprises using Canva, creating bespoke assets/illustrations, branding kits, and templates (using the Affinity apps), and providing design training and consulting/art direction.

Anyway, if you've read all the way to here - thank you. I easily could have written pages and pages, but I hope these few paragraphs provide some insight into my experience and perspective of Canva since the acquisition.

Change is hard, but it's also an opportunity.

Edited May 31, 2024 by Bryan Rieger
Finished it after accidentally hitting 'save'.

[okadrian]

4 hours ago, R C-R said:

How do you reconcile that with Canva's considerable charitable work (like the ~30 million they have contributed to GiveDirectly, the Canva Foundation, their participation in Pledge 1%, etc.); or that it makes its basic service available for free to everyone on the planet & its premium stuff available for free to non-profits & educational users?

Oh come on! This seems to be standard stuff. Disrupt the status quo with free and cheap offerings. Consider how this affects countless incomes and local economies all around the world. The end result is too much power and money in the hands of way too few people. Not very charitable. 

[R C-R]

22 minutes ago, okadrian said:

Consider how this affects countless incomes and local economies all around the world.

That is exactly what all of Canva's charitable stuff is doing in a very positive way. It is certainly not "standard stuff" for companies of comparable size to do even a tiny fraction  of that.