During Adobe MAX, Canva dropped a bombshell announcement: the entire Affinity suite—Affinity Photo, Designer, and Publisher—would be free forever. In this episode, David Blatner, Theresa Jackson, and Mike Rankin share their reactions to the news and unpack what it means for creative professionals.

They discuss how Canva's move shakes up the design software landscape and whether Affinity can ever rival Adobe's Creative Cloud. The team also explores why this announcement might be good news for everyone, from professional designers to the next generation of creatives.

Episode Highlights

• Canva's surprise move announced during Adobe MAX
• Why David says "free" doesn't necessarily mean "professional-grade"
• Theresa's take on Adobe's shifting focus toward hobbyists
• Mike's look at Affinity's strengths (and key limitations)
• The gap between Adobe's "everyone" tools and enterprise solutions
• How Affinity compares for pros: what's missing and what's impressive
• The bigger picture: education, accessibility, and competition in creative software

Resources

• Canva's official announcement: Affinity now free forever
• Affinity Suite overview (Photo, Designer, Publisher)
• Adobe MAX on demand sessions
• CreativePro InDesign Conference