# Affinity Designer

Application: Serif

Also called affinity designer 2, serif designer

Serif, Creative

Serif's vector and pixel persona app. Designer.exe is the process. It is not Illustrator.

## What you need to know

Affinity Designer is Designer.exe. It is not Illustrator.

Serif's Designer.exe is vector plus a pixel persona. Illustrator is Adobe's AI app. A .afdesign file is this product, not an AI file.

- **What is it?**: Vector and pixel design

  **Still current?**: Yes, see Current status

  **Official download?**: Use the vendor link in this article

Feex says

If Designer.exe is the process, that is Affinity Designer, not Illustrator. I would not hunt Illustrator.exe to explain a .afdesign file.

## What is Affinity Designer?

Affinity Designer is a vector editor with a pixel persona. A .afdesign document is native. The Windows executable for v2 is Designer.exe.

## If you have never used it

Affinity Designer is Serif's vector app with a pixel persona. Designer.exe is the v2 app. It is not Illustrator. Canva later launched a unified Affinity app. If Designer.exe is installed, that is still Designer 2.

## What is it used for?

**Vector personas**

Draw logos as curves. Illustrator uses AI. This app uses .afdesign.

**Pixel persona**

Raster work inside the same document. Illustrator is not this split.

**Export slices**

Export PNG or SVG. The working file is still .afdesign.

## Who is it for?

- People who bought Designer 2
- Users avoiding an Illustrator subscription
- Anyone comparing personas to Illustrator artboards

## Current status

v2 Designer.exe still runs for existing licenses. Canva's 2025 unified Affinity app is the new download path.

## How old is it?

Serif shipped Designer in 2014, before Photo. Designer 2 arrived in 2022. Canva bought Serif in 2024 and launched a unified app in 2025. Designer.exe remains the v2 vector app.

## Versions

Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here.

Affinity Designer 2

Unified Affinity (2025)

## System requirements

Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need.

### Minimum

| Operating system | Windows 10 May 2020 (2004) or later, 64-bit, per Serif v2   |
| ---------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| RAM              | Enough for Windows plus this app. Heavy projects want more. |

## Resource profile

- **CPU demand**: Follows what you open inside the app

  **RAM demand**: Follows documents, tabs, or libraries

## Installed processes

These executables belong to this product when it is installed.

| Designer.exe | Main Windows executable |
| ------------ | ----------------------- |

## Startup components

Affinity Designer does not need to start with Windows.

## File locations

| Typical install | C:\Program Files\Affinity\Designer 2\\ |
| --------------- | -------------------------------------- |

## File formats

AFDESIGN, SVG, PDF, EPS

## Common problems

### Expected Illustrator plugins

Designer has its own persona tools. An AI plugin does not install here.

### Unified app vs Designer.exe

The 2025 Affinity app is a different Start tile from Designer 2.

## Getting unstuck

### Confirm Designer.exe

Affinity Designer 2 is the v2 folder. Illustrator.exe is Adobe.

### Keep MSIX and MSI consistent

Serif warns that mixing installers breaks StudioLink with Publisher.

### Open .afdesign in Designer, not Photo

Photo.exe is the photo sibling. Designer.exe owns .afdesign.

## Alternatives

Illustrator, Inkscape, and the unified Affinity app overlap. Illustrator does not replace Designer.exe.

## Official help and downloads

Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel.

| Download      | [affinity.serif.com/designer/ ](https://affinity.serif.com/designer/)Official installer or vendor page |
| ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Help          | [affinity.help/designer2/ ](https://affinity.help/designer2/)Vendor support                            |
| Official site | [affinity.serif.com/designer/ ](https://affinity.serif.com/designer/)Start here, not a random exe host |

## Related hardware

Serif lists 64-bit Windows 10 version 2004 or later for v2.

## Technical details

Technical details

Vendor version numbers change. This article does not pin a build.

## Related

These entities connect to this article. Type is shown on every link.

[Adobe Illustrator: Application](https://feex.it/wiki/software/adobe-illustrator)[How to read Task Manager: Guide](https://feex.it/wiki/software/system/how-to-read-task-manager)

## Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. [How we research](https://feex.it/wiki/research).

- [Affinity Designer official site ](https://affinity.serif.com/designer/)· Vendor product page
- [Affinity Designer help ](https://affinity.help/designer2/)· Vendor support
- [Foxhole process map ](https://foxhole.feex.it/)· First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

## Was this article useful?

A yes or no is enough. Pick a reason if you want, or add a short note.

Quick facts

The short identity of this page. Specs, sources, and the full story stay in the article.

- **Developer**: Serif

  **Category**: Vector and pixel design

  **Process**: Designer.exe

  **License**: One-time v2 purchase or later free unified Affinity

  **First released**: 2014

  **Official site**: [affinity.serif.com/designer](https://affinity.serif.com/designer/)

  **Mapped by Feex**: Seen on Windows PCs in Foxhole

Feex Reviewed: Last verified August 2026

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Source: [Canonical Feex Wiki page](https://feex.it/wiki/software/affinity-designer/)

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