Australian all-in-one design platform Canva announced the acquisition of Affinity, a UK-based creative software suite for professional photo editing, illustration, graphic design, and page layout.
Why Affinity?
With this acquisition, Canva will be able to build the world’s most comprehensive suite of visual communication tools. The integration of Affinity’s professional design software will unlock the full spectrum of designers at every level and stage of the design journey. It will also enable professional designers to craft designs and templates with Affinity to scale across organisations with Canva.
Canva will continue to invest in the Affinity suite to ensure it not only meets the needs of professional designers but also enhances their experiences and empowers them to do their best work.
Empowers professional designers
Founded in 1987, Affinity works under its parent company Serif. Affinity has a renowned suite of creative tools for professional designers and photographers. Its tools – Affinity Designer, Affinity Photo, and Affinity Publisher will enable Canva to provide features similar to those of Adobe’s Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign software respectively. It will be able to compete against Adobe with a strong grip over the digital design market.
Designed for the latest hardware and packed with features to simplify real-life professional workflows, Affinity’s all-inclusive photo editing, graphic design, and desktop publishing products serve as a powerful, cost-effective, and subscription-free solution for photographers and designers requiring versatility and precision.
Currently, over 3 million users worldwide trust Affinity to create everything from complex multi-layered graphics to detailed technical diagrams, art and illustration, logos, mockups, documents, magazines, etc.
Canva continues to grow
Founded in 2013 by Melanie Perkins with co-founders Cliff Obrecht and Cameron Adams, Canva is now by over 175 million people across 190 countries and in more than 100 languages. Together, Canva and Affinity will be a powerhouse combination built to supercharge the goals of every type of designer.
“Visual communication is now ubiquitous in the workplace and investing in strategies that enhance our B2B offerings is core to the future of our business,” said Canva co-founder and COO, Cliff Obrecht. “From sales and marketing, to brand and creative teams, the need to create effective and engaging visual content is on the rise. The Affinity team comes with an incredible caliber of talent and technology and we’re delighted to welcome them to Canva as we enter our next phase together.”
“Since the inception of Affinity, our mission has been to empower creatives with tools that unleash their full potential, fostering a community where innovation and artistry flourish,” said Ashley Hewson, CEO of Affinity. “We’ve worked tirelessly to challenge the status quo, delivering professional-grade creative software that is both accessible and affordable. Canva’s commitment to empowering everyone to create aligns perfectly with those values. We couldn’t be more excited about becoming part of the Canva family and can’t wait to see what we will achieve together.”
