Before we come to how to style underlines, we should answer the question: should we underline?
In graphic design, underlines are generally seen as unsophisticated. There are nicer ways to draw emphasis, to establish hierarchy, and to demarcate titles.
If you feel the urge to underline, use bold or italic instead. In special situations, like headings, you can also consider using all caps, small caps, or changing the point size. Not convinced? I invite you to find a book, newspaper, or magazine that underlines text. That look is mostly associated with supermarket tabloids.
But the web is different. Hyperlinks are the defining feature of the internet; and from the internet’s inception, they have been underlined. It’s a universally understood convention. The meaning is crystal clear — an underline means a link.
However, plenty of popular websites have ditched underlines: The New York Times, New YorkMagazine, The Washington Post, Bloomberg, Amazon, Apple, GitHub, Twitter, Wikipedia. When they removed underlines from their search results page in 2014, Google lead designer Jon Wiley argued that it created a cleaner look. Notably though, the majority of these sites have kept slight variances on the traditional lurid blue color (#0000EE) that’s been the browser default since the beginning of the web. While this provides a visual cue for the majority of users, it may not be enough to pass WCAG accessibility compliance.
Color is not used as the only visual means of conveying information, indicating an action, prompting a response, or distinguishing a visual element.
— WCAG 2.1
WCAG do not strictly mandate using underlines for links, but it does recommend them. Color blind users need to be able to discern a link. You could differentiate them in other ways, such as with a bold font-weight. Or you could keep this long-established visual affordance. But if we’re going to use underlines, we want them to look nice. Marcin Wichary, a designer at Medium, described the perfect underline as:
[…] visible, but unobtrusive — allowing people to realize what’s clickable, but without drawing too much attention to itself. It should be positioned at just the right distance from the text, sitting comfortably behind it for when descenders want to occupy the same space.
Achieving this has traditionally required CSS tricks.
The hacks we’ve had
This is one trick all developers will be familiar with: border-bottom. By emulating an underline using border-bottom, we gain control over color and thickness. These pseudo-underlines have one problem: an overly large distance from the text. They are underneath the descenders of the letters. You could potentially solve this issue by using line-height, but that comes with its own issues. A similar technique utilises box-shadow. Marcin Wichary pioneered the most sophisticated technique, using background-image to simulate an underline. They were useful hacks but are thankfully no longer needed.
Styling real underlines
Finally we can demarcate links without sacrificing style thanks to two new CSS properties.
text-underline-offset controls the position of the underline.
text-decoration-thickness controls the thickness of underlines, as well as overlines, and line-throughs.
You can also specify from-font to both of these properties which will pull the relevant metric from the used font file itself.
UX agency Clearleft make bold use of (pseudo) underlines, calling clear attention to links with colorful styling. Here’s one example of a faux underline:
a {
text-decoration: none;
border-bottom: #EA215A 0.125em solid;
}
Notice that this fake underline is clearly below the descender of the letter „y”:
Here’s the same paragraph, using DevTools to apply the same styling to a real underline using the new CSS properties:
a {
text-decoration-color: #EA215A;
text-decoration-thickness: .125em;
text-underline-offset: 1.5px;
}
You’ll notice I’m using the em unit in my example code. The spec strongly encourages using it rather than pixels so that the thickness scales with the font.
These properties have already shipped in Safari and are coming in Firefox 70.
With the move to Chromium for Microsoft’s Edge browser, we will finally have cross browser support for the text-decoration-style property, which offers the options: solid (the default), double, dotted, dashed, and wavy. When combined, these new properties open up a whole range of possibilities.
Perhaps the biggest upgrade for underlines on the web, however, has come without developers needing to do anything. In the bad old days, descenders were unceremoniously sliced through by underlines, which was far from elegant. Developers used to hack around this shortcoming by applying a text-shadow that matched the background color. text-decoration-skip-ink brought a better way to make space for descenders.
The default value of auto (left) and a value of none (right)
Handily, it’s set as the new default value for underlines; meaning the look of underlines has improved while most web developers remain unaware that this property exists. Should you want an underline to cross over glyphs, you can set this property to none.
The DOM is just a little weird about some things, and the way you deal with attributes is no exception. There are a number of ways to deal with the attributes on elements. By attributes, I mean things like the id in <div id="cool"></div>. Sometimes you need to set them. Sometimes you need to get them. Sometimes you get fancy helpers. Sometimes you don’t.
For this article, I’ll assume el is a DOM element in your JavaScript. Let’s say you’ve done something like const el = document.querySelector("#cool"); and matched <div id="cool"> or whatever.
Some attributes are also attributes of the DOM object itself, so iff you need to set an id or title, you can do:
el.id; // "cool"
el.title = "my title";
el.title; // "my title";
Others that work like that are lang, align, and all the big events, like onclick.
Then there are attributes that work similarly to that but are nested deeper. The style attribute is like that. If you log el.style you’ll see a ton of CSS style declarations. You can get and set them easily:
You can get computed colors this way too. If you do module.style.color hoping to get the color of an element out of the gate, you probably won’t get it. For that, you’d have to do:
let style = window.getComputedStyle(el);
style.color; // whatever in CSS won out
But not all attributes are like first-class attributes like that.
el['aria-hidden'] = true; // nope
That „works” in that it sets that as a property, but it doesn’t set it in the DOM the proper way. Instead, you’ll have to use the generic setter and getter functions that work for all attributes, like:
el.classList.value; // "module big"
el.classList.length; // 2
el.classList.add("cool"); // adds the class "cool", so "module big cool"
el.classList.remove("big"); // removes "big", so "module cool"
el.classList.toggle("big"); // adds "big" back, because it was missing (goes back and forth)
el.classList.contains("module"); // true
There’s even more, and classList itself behaves like an array so you can forEach it and such. That’s a pretty strong reason to use classes, as the DOM API around them is so handy.
Another attribute type that has a somewhat fancy help is data-*. Say you’ve got:
As an icon designer, I’m constantly looking for new tools that could help me broaden my creativity, while giving me less clutter to deal with.
For years now, Adobe has been regarded as the king of digital creative suites, but recently more and more alternatives have started to take shape, challenging the giant in the process.
Today, I’m going to take one of Adobe’s most popular products and stack it against Affinity Designer, a competitor that has more and more people wondering if it’s time to jump ship and embrace change.
So, if you’re into icon design and want to learn how to make icons, whether it’s minimal icon design such as a check icon or a blog icon or more complex depictions, this article should help you figure out what software might be a better fit for you.
That being said, let the comparison begin.
1. What Is the Artboard Support Like?
When it comes to creating icons, you’ll probably end up working on projects that involve a larger number of assets, which means that the software that you’re using needs to be able to take full advantage of multiple Artboard project files.
With Illustrator, Adobe has managed to put together a great implementation of this feature, since it has a simple and intuitive process, where you can set up and define multiple Artboards from the start using its New Document window prompt.
This approach is hands down the best one yet, since with each new project file, you can decide on the number of Artboards that you’re going to be using, instead of having to do so later on.
Going beyond basic Artboard implementation, Illustrator allows you to take full control over:
the Number of Artboards: as of now, the software supports a maximum number of 1,000 Artboards
the arrangement methods: Grid by Row, Grid by Column, Arrange by Row, Arrange by Column
the Number of Artboards Per Row
Layout orientation: Right-to-Left or Left-to-Right Layout
Spacing: the distance between each Artboard
Columns: the number of columns in which the Artboards will be stacked
With Affinity Designer, Serif has taken a different route, which in this case is pretty disappointing, since its Artboard support is lacking some of the advanced features found in Illustrator. Once you get used to those features, you can’t really go without them.
If we go through the process of setting up a new project file using its own version of the New Window prompt, we’ll quickly see that while it lets us use an Artboard to house our assets (which by default comes unchecked), that’s pretty much all we get in terms of Artboard options.
This means that, if you’re hoping to get the same level of control over the spacing found within your Artboards, their column number, etc., you’re out of luck, since you’ll have to go in manually and do it yourself.
The process of setting up multiple Artboards in itself is pretty annoying, especially when dealing with a larger project, since you’ll have to manually add each Artboard, one at a time.
To do so, you first have to select the Artboard Tool, and then use the Insert Artboard button, which will always add a new Artboard to the right side of the existing one. This can quickly turn into a great source of frustration, since there’s no option of setting up a second row, which means that you’ll end up having a long row of Artboards that you’ll have to manually select and rearrange.
When it comes to the maximum number of Artboards that Affinity allows you to set up, I couldn’t find an official value, so I spent a couple of minutes clicking the Insert Artboard button, and once I reached 999, I was impressed to see that it was still going.
Now, why somebody would actually need 1,000 Artboards is beyond me, but it’s nice to see that the software holds its own when it comes to this particular feature.
2. How Do Smart Guides Behave?
When working on icons, the ability to manually align and/or position composing shapes in relation to one another can quickly make a difference in terms of the amount of tools and buttons you need to use, which will result in a faster workflow.
By default, both programs come with their own versions of smart guides, which behave quite differently, as we will see in the following moments.
While Illustrator’s smart guides implementation is a little more basic from a visual perspective, it does a perfect job at helping us keep track of the center and outer edges of any unselected shape, allowing us to quickly position our active shape in relation to them.
For example, if we needed to align a circle to the left edge of a larger underlying square, we can easily do so by first selecting the shape, and then simply dragging it into the desired position, which will immediately trigger the smart guides.
Once the guides become active, they help us maintain a straight line while dragging, immediately snapping the circle’s bounding box to the edge of the square.
To make things more precise, the software lets us keep track of the number of pixels traveled by our shape through the help of a dedicated info panel, which will indicate the X and Y distances (dX & dY).
When it comes to manually positioning a shape, this feature is actually really helpful, but unfortunately it only works when using a click-and-drag approach, since if you nudge the shape with the help of the directional arrow keys, the info panel will remain hidden.
If we switch over to Affinity, we’ll quickly notice that its version of smart guides behaves pretty much identically. The only key difference is that this time around the software doesn’t come with a dedicated panel meant to keep track of the number of pixels that the active shape has traveled.
While Affinity doesn’t give us the option of keeping track of the distance traveled by an active shape, it does however come with a way better feature: distance tracking between multiple shapes.
For example, let’s say that we want to position our circle 4 px from the square’s bottom edge. In Illustrator, we would first have to align the circle to the edge of the square, and then push it downwards by said distance.
In Affinity, we can easily keep track of the distance found between our circle and the larger square, either by clicking and dragging or using the directional arrow keys, which will immediately give us an indicator of the spacing value found between the two.
The only thing that you need to keep in mind is that as of now, this feature only works with non-overlapping shapes.
For me personally, this approach makes it an essential feature that any icon designer should have and use, which is something that I wish Adobe had implemented in Illustrator for a long time now.
3. How Is the Pixel Preview Support?
When working on icons, there are a couple of tools that are essential to figuring out the size and position of their composing shapes, one of those being the ability to view the actual Pixel Grid.
With Illustrator, Adobe has the best Pixel Preview support to date, since it allows us to view the actual pixel fabric onto which our icons will rest.
By default, the view mode is disabled, but you can easily switch back and forward by heading over to View > Pixel Preview or by using the Alt-Control-Y keyboard shortcut.
Once in Pixel Preview mode, we’ll be able to create and adjust any given shape by taking full advantage of the Pixel Grid. By doing so, we can figure out shape sizes more easily and have a clear view of their spacing and positioning, instead of throwing random shapes all over the place.
If we switch over to Affinity Designer, unfortunately true Pixel Preview support is lacking in a big way, since the available Pixel view mode substitute simply shows us how our design would look at a pixel level, but we can’t see or take advantage of the Pixel Grid.
4. How Does Pixel Snapping Behave?
When it comes to creating pixel-perfect icons, we need to make sure that every shape that we create is perfectly snapped to the underlying Pixel Grid, so that in the end we’ll have a sharp-looking product.
In Illustrator, we can turn on pixel snapping either by heading over to View > Snap to Pixel or by clicking on the Align art to pixel grid on creation and transformation button, which can be found on the upper-right corner of the interface.
Recently, Adobe has introduced a dedicated Pixel Snapping Options panel, which we can access by clicking on the little downward-facing arrow found next to the Align art to pixel grid on creation and transformation button.
Once the panel is visible, we’ll be greeted by three different categories of options that control pixel snapping while drawing, moving, and scaling. These are pretty self-explanatory since if we hover over them, we’ll get a little demonstration of that specific feature.
In terms of the pixel snapping itself, the features behave exactly as advertised, since each shape that you create perfectly snaps to the underlying Pixel Grid, no matter what you do to it.
Affinity Designer uses a similar approach, where we get three dedicated buttons: one to Force Pixel Alignment, one to Move By Whole Pixels, and another one to control advanced Snapping.
Quick tip: you can always access the Snapping Manager by heading over to View > Snapping Manager.
Compared to Adobe, the snapping options are quite interesting this time around, since we get a whole new level of control, even though not all of them are directly linked to pixel snapping.
As with Illustrator, pixel snapping behaves exactly as you would expect, with each shape occupying whole pixels, which is exactly what we want.
5. What Is the Grid Support Like?
When working on icons, you’ll often need to set up some building guidelines to help you define your assets, which are mostly created using Grids.
By doing so, you allow yourself to create your composing shapes using similar sizing values that are created by taking advantage of the gridline system.
Illustrator comes with a dedicated Grid, which can be turned on by heading over to View > Show Grid.
To set up a custom Grid, we need to head over to Edit > Preferences > Guides & Grid where we can adjust the Gridline every and Subdivisions options.
As you can see, Adobe doesn’t give us a whole lot of settings when it comes to setting up a custom Grid, which makes the feature feel outdated.
If we switch over to Affinity, well let’s just say that its implementation of the Grid is quite impressive, since you get a dedicated manager that you can customize and adapt for multiple styles of artwork.
To access the tool, we need to head over to View and then simply click on Grid and Axis Manager.
Once the manager is visible, we can check the Show Grid option, which should make it active throughout the entire document.
Next we have Mode, which is where Affinity truly sets itself apart, since you can choose to go with Basic, which is what Illustrator currently offers, or you can go with Advanced and choose from the different available Grid type options.
As you can see, the number of options is quite impressive, so if you’ve ever wanted to try to design isometric icons, this might be the time to do so.
6. How Is the Asset Export Process?
Finally, let’s talk about asset export, which is an equally important step in the process of creating icons. When dealing with a larger project, you need to make sure that your creative suite of choice is capable of handling the workload.
With Illustrator, Adobe has introduced a dedicated exporting tool, called the Asset Export panel, which can be found within the Layers and Artboards panel group.
To export a set of icons, we first have to add them to the panel, either by clicking and dragging them over or by using the Generate multiple assets from the selection button.
Once we’ve generated our selection of assets, all we have to do is click on the Launch Export for Screens dialog button, which will allow us to adjust our export settings and even add size and format variations based on our needs.
As you can see, the process itself is really straightforward, since all you have to do is click a few buttons and you’re good to export.
Affinity Designer does things a little bit differently, since it comes with what Serif calls an Export Persona, which can be found within the upper-left corner of the application.
Once we’ve switched over to the Export Persona, the application will change, giving us a dedicated Export Options panel, where we can control all the different available settings.
All we have to do to export the icons is check their little checkboxes first, and then simply click on the Export Slices button, which will ask us for a location to store the resulting files.
While the exporting process isn’t all that bad, I personally think that what Illustrator offers is more streamlined and easier to use.
At this point, we’ve managed to cover and compare the key features that you should know when deciding which software is right for you, so it’s now time to move on to the conclusion part of our little discussion.
Conclusion
Through its unique features and ease of use, Illustrator once again proves to hold its own, which I why I believe that for now it’s the best icon design suite out there that you can acquire and use.
The main points that lead to this conclusion are:
advanced Artboard support
advanced pixel preview mode integration
overall better asset export support
That being said, I truly hope this information comes in handy when it comes to deciding which creative suite might be a better fit for you, and if you have any questions in regards to the subject, feel free to post them within the comments section, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
Further Develop Your Icon-Building Skills
Just finished going through this in-depth article, and feel like learning more? Well, if that’s the case, you’re in luck, since I took the time to put together this little list that should keep you going for the following days!
As a designer, you’ve probably wondered which Adobe product does a better job when it comes to the process of creating icons. Some love Photoshop, others…
Learn how to create line icons both in Adobe Illustrator and Affinity Designer, and see how you can craft a usable finished product using a few basic shapes.
In today’s tutorial, we’re going to tackle another icon project, in which we’re going to gradually learn how to create a set of text editor elements, using…
In this Affinity Designer tutorial, you’re going to learn how to create a set of office icons using some simple geometric shapes that we will adjust here and…
To celebrate our tenth birthday, learn how to create a set of ten must-have UI icons, using the most basic shapes and tools that Illustrator has to offer.
Since summer is already upon us, I thought it would be nice to treat you to a little icon tutorial using some of the most common accessories that you would…
In today’s tutorial we’re going to get our fashion on and learn how to create a stylized set of accessories icon pack, using the most basic shapes and tools…
Always wanted to learn how to create a check icon, but never knew exactly where to start? In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to create a check icon in Adobe…
Always wanted to learn how to create a filter icon, but never knew exactly where to start?
In this video, you’ll learn how to create two variations of the…
As an icon designer, I’m constantly looking for new tools that could help me broaden my creativity, while giving me less clutter to deal with.
For years now, Adobe has been regarded as the king of digital creative suites, but recently more and more alternatives have started to take shape, challenging the giant in the process.
Today, I’m going to take one of Adobe’s most popular products and stack it against Affinity Designer, a competitor that has more and more people wondering if it’s time to jump ship and embrace change.
So, if you’re into icon design and want to learn how to make icons, whether it’s minimal icon design such as a check icon or a blog icon or more complex depictions, this article should help you figure out what software might be a better fit for you.
That being said, let the comparison begin.
1. What Is the Artboard Support Like?
When it comes to creating icons, you’ll probably end up working on projects that involve a larger number of assets, which means that the software that you’re using needs to be able to take full advantage of multiple Artboard project files.
With Illustrator, Adobe has managed to put together a great implementation of this feature, since it has a simple and intuitive process, where you can set up and define multiple Artboards from the start using its New Document window prompt.
This approach is hands down the best one yet, since with each new project file, you can decide on the number of Artboards that you’re going to be using, instead of having to do so later on.
Going beyond basic Artboard implementation, Illustrator allows you to take full control over:
the Number of Artboards: as of now, the software supports a maximum number of 1,000 Artboards
the arrangement methods: Grid by Row, Grid by Column, Arrange by Row, Arrange by Column
the Number of Artboards Per Row
Layout orientation: Right-to-Left or Left-to-Right Layout
Spacing: the distance between each Artboard
Columns: the number of columns in which the Artboards will be stacked
With Affinity Designer, Serif has taken a different route, which in this case is pretty disappointing, since its Artboard support is lacking some of the advanced features found in Illustrator. Once you get used to those features, you can’t really go without them.
If we go through the process of setting up a new project file using its own version of the New Window prompt, we’ll quickly see that while it lets us use an Artboard to house our assets (which by default comes unchecked), that’s pretty much all we get in terms of Artboard options.
This means that, if you’re hoping to get the same level of control over the spacing found within your Artboards, their column number, etc., you’re out of luck, since you’ll have to go in manually and do it yourself.
The process of setting up multiple Artboards in itself is pretty annoying, especially when dealing with a larger project, since you’ll have to manually add each Artboard, one at a time.
To do so, you first have to select the Artboard Tool, and then use the Insert Artboard button, which will always add a new Artboard to the right side of the existing one. This can quickly turn into a great source of frustration, since there’s no option of setting up a second row, which means that you’ll end up having a long row of Artboards that you’ll have to manually select and rearrange.
When it comes to the maximum number of Artboards that Affinity allows you to set up, I couldn’t find an official value, so I spent a couple of minutes clicking the Insert Artboard button, and once I reached 999, I was impressed to see that it was still going.
Now, why somebody would actually need 1,000 Artboards is beyond me, but it’s nice to see that the software holds its own when it comes to this particular feature.
2. How Do Smart Guides Behave?
When working on icons, the ability to manually align and/or position composing shapes in relation to one another can quickly make a difference in terms of the amount of tools and buttons you need to use, which will result in a faster workflow.
By default, both programs come with their own versions of smart guides, which behave quite differently, as we will see in the following moments.
While Illustrator’s smart guides implementation is a little more basic from a visual perspective, it does a perfect job at helping us keep track of the center and outer edges of any unselected shape, allowing us to quickly position our active shape in relation to them.
For example, if we needed to align a circle to the left edge of a larger underlying square, we can easily do so by first selecting the shape, and then simply dragging it into the desired position, which will immediately trigger the smart guides.
Once the guides become active, they help us maintain a straight line while dragging, immediately snapping the circle’s bounding box to the edge of the square.
To make things more precise, the software lets us keep track of the number of pixels traveled by our shape through the help of a dedicated info panel, which will indicate the X and Y distances (dX & dY).
When it comes to manually positioning a shape, this feature is actually really helpful, but unfortunately it only works when using a click-and-drag approach, since if you nudge the shape with the help of the directional arrow keys, the info panel will remain hidden.
If we switch over to Affinity, we’ll quickly notice that its version of smart guides behaves pretty much identically. The only key difference is that this time around the software doesn’t come with a dedicated panel meant to keep track of the number of pixels that the active shape has traveled.
While Affinity doesn’t give us the option of keeping track of the distance traveled by an active shape, it does however come with a way better feature: distance tracking between multiple shapes.
For example, let’s say that we want to position our circle 4 px from the square’s bottom edge. In Illustrator, we would first have to align the circle to the edge of the square, and then push it downwards by said distance.
In Affinity, we can easily keep track of the distance found between our circle and the larger square, either by clicking and dragging or using the directional arrow keys, which will immediately give us an indicator of the spacing value found between the two.
The only thing that you need to keep in mind is that as of now, this feature only works with non-overlapping shapes.
For me personally, this approach makes it an essential feature that any icon designer should have and use, which is something that I wish Adobe had implemented in Illustrator for a long time now.
3. How Is the Pixel Preview Support?
When working on icons, there are a couple of tools that are essential to figuring out the size and position of their composing shapes, one of those being the ability to view the actual Pixel Grid.
With Illustrator, Adobe has the best Pixel Preview support to date, since it allows us to view the actual pixel fabric onto which our icons will rest.
By default, the view mode is disabled, but you can easily switch back and forward by heading over to View > Pixel Preview or by using the Alt-Control-Y keyboard shortcut.
Once in Pixel Preview mode, we’ll be able to create and adjust any given shape by taking full advantage of the Pixel Grid. By doing so, we can figure out shape sizes more easily and have a clear view of their spacing and positioning, instead of throwing random shapes all over the place.
If we switch over to Affinity Designer, unfortunately true Pixel Preview support is lacking in a big way, since the available Pixel view mode substitute simply shows us how our design would look at a pixel level, but we can’t see or take advantage of the Pixel Grid.
4. How Does Pixel Snapping Behave?
When it comes to creating pixel-perfect icons, we need to make sure that every shape that we create is perfectly snapped to the underlying Pixel Grid, so that in the end we’ll have a sharp-looking product.
In Illustrator, we can turn on pixel snapping either by heading over to View > Snap to Pixel or by clicking on the Align art to pixel grid on creation and transformation button, which can be found on the upper-right corner of the interface.
Recently, Adobe has introduced a dedicated Pixel Snapping Options panel, which we can access by clicking on the little downward-facing arrow found next to the Align art to pixel grid on creation and transformation button.
Once the panel is visible, we’ll be greeted by three different categories of options that control pixel snapping while drawing, moving, and scaling. These are pretty self-explanatory since if we hover over them, we’ll get a little demonstration of that specific feature.
In terms of the pixel snapping itself, the features behave exactly as advertised, since each shape that you create perfectly snaps to the underlying Pixel Grid, no matter what you do to it.
Affinity Designer uses a similar approach, where we get three dedicated buttons: one to Force Pixel Alignment, one to Move By Whole Pixels, and another one to control advanced Snapping.
Quick tip: you can always access the Snapping Manager by heading over to View > Snapping Manager.
Compared to Adobe, the snapping options are quite interesting this time around, since we get a whole new level of control, even though not all of them are directly linked to pixel snapping.
As with Illustrator, pixel snapping behaves exactly as you would expect, with each shape occupying whole pixels, which is exactly what we want.
5. What Is the Grid Support Like?
When working on icons, you’ll often need to set up some building guidelines to help you define your assets, which are mostly created using Grids.
By doing so, you allow yourself to create your composing shapes using similar sizing values that are created by taking advantage of the gridline system.
Illustrator comes with a dedicated Grid, which can be turned on by heading over to View > Show Grid.
To set up a custom Grid, we need to head over to Edit > Preferences > Guides & Grid where we can adjust the Gridline every and Subdivisions options.
As you can see, Adobe doesn’t give us a whole lot of settings when it comes to setting up a custom Grid, which makes the feature feel outdated.
If we switch over to Affinity, well let’s just say that its implementation of the Grid is quite impressive, since you get a dedicated manager that you can customize and adapt for multiple styles of artwork.
To access the tool, we need to head over to View and then simply click on Grid and Axis Manager.
Once the manager is visible, we can check the Show Grid option, which should make it active throughout the entire document.
Next we have Mode, which is where Affinity truly sets itself apart, since you can choose to go with Basic, which is what Illustrator currently offers, or you can go with Advanced and choose from the different available Grid type options.
As you can see, the number of options is quite impressive, so if you’ve ever wanted to try to design isometric icons, this might be the time to do so.
6. How Is the Asset Export Process?
Finally, let’s talk about asset export, which is an equally important step in the process of creating icons. When dealing with a larger project, you need to make sure that your creative suite of choice is capable of handling the workload.
With Illustrator, Adobe has introduced a dedicated exporting tool, called the Asset Export panel, which can be found within the Layers and Artboards panel group.
To export a set of icons, we first have to add them to the panel, either by clicking and dragging them over or by using the Generate multiple assets from the selection button.
Once we’ve generated our selection of assets, all we have to do is click on the Launch Export for Screens dialog button, which will allow us to adjust our export settings and even add size and format variations based on our needs.
As you can see, the process itself is really straightforward, since all you have to do is click a few buttons and you’re good to export.
Affinity Designer does things a little bit differently, since it comes with what Serif calls an Export Persona, which can be found within the upper-left corner of the application.
Once we’ve switched over to the Export Persona, the application will change, giving us a dedicated Export Options panel, where we can control all the different available settings.
All we have to do to export the icons is check their little checkboxes first, and then simply click on the Export Slices button, which will ask us for a location to store the resulting files.
While the exporting process isn’t all that bad, I personally think that what Illustrator offers is more streamlined and easier to use.
At this point, we’ve managed to cover and compare the key features that you should know when deciding which software is right for you, so it’s now time to move on to the conclusion part of our little discussion.
Conclusion
Through its unique features and ease of use, Illustrator once again proves to hold its own, which I why I believe that for now it’s the best icon design suite out there that you can acquire and use.
The main points that lead to this conclusion are:
advanced Artboard support
advanced pixel preview mode integration
overall better asset export support
That being said, I truly hope this information comes in handy when it comes to deciding which creative suite might be a better fit for you, and if you have any questions in regards to the subject, feel free to post them within the comments section, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
Further Develop Your Icon-Building Skills
Just finished going through this in-depth article, and feel like learning more? Well, if that’s the case, you’re in luck, since I took the time to put together this little list that should keep you going for the following days!
As a designer, you’ve probably wondered which Adobe product does a better job when it comes to the process of creating icons. Some love Photoshop, others…
Learn how to create line icons both in Adobe Illustrator and Affinity Designer, and see how you can craft a usable finished product using a few basic shapes.
In today’s tutorial, we’re going to tackle another icon project, in which we’re going to gradually learn how to create a set of text editor elements, using…
In this Affinity Designer tutorial, you’re going to learn how to create a set of office icons using some simple geometric shapes that we will adjust here and…
To celebrate our tenth birthday, learn how to create a set of ten must-have UI icons, using the most basic shapes and tools that Illustrator has to offer.
Since summer is already upon us, I thought it would be nice to treat you to a little icon tutorial using some of the most common accessories that you would…
In today’s tutorial we’re going to get our fashion on and learn how to create a stylized set of accessories icon pack, using the most basic shapes and tools…
Always wanted to learn how to create a check icon, but never knew exactly where to start? In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to create a check icon in Adobe…
Always wanted to learn how to create a filter icon, but never knew exactly where to start?
In this video, you’ll learn how to create two variations of the…
As an icon designer, I’m constantly looking for new tools that could help me broaden my creativity, while giving me less clutter to deal with.
For years now, Adobe has been regarded as the king of digital creative suites, but recently more and more alternatives have started to take shape, challenging the giant in the process.
Today, I’m going to take one of Adobe’s most popular products and stack it against Affinity Designer, a competitor that has more and more people wondering if it’s time to jump ship and embrace change.
So, if you’re into icon design and want to learn how to make icons, whether it’s minimal icon design such as a check icon or a blog icon or more complex depictions, this article should help you figure out what software might be a better fit for you.
That being said, let the comparison begin.
1. What Is the Artboard Support Like?
When it comes to creating icons, you’ll probably end up working on projects that involve a larger number of assets, which means that the software that you’re using needs to be able to take full advantage of multiple Artboard project files.
With Illustrator, Adobe has managed to put together a great implementation of this feature, since it has a simple and intuitive process, where you can set up and define multiple Artboards from the start using its New Document window prompt.
This approach is hands down the best one yet, since with each new project file, you can decide on the number of Artboards that you’re going to be using, instead of having to do so later on.
Going beyond basic Artboard implementation, Illustrator allows you to take full control over:
the Number of Artboards: as of now, the software supports a maximum number of 1,000 Artboards
the arrangement methods: Grid by Row, Grid by Column, Arrange by Row, Arrange by Column
the Number of Artboards Per Row
Layout orientation: Right-to-Left or Left-to-Right Layout
Spacing: the distance between each Artboard
Columns: the number of columns in which the Artboards will be stacked
With Affinity Designer, Serif has taken a different route, which in this case is pretty disappointing, since its Artboard support is lacking some of the advanced features found in Illustrator. Once you get used to those features, you can’t really go without them.
If we go through the process of setting up a new project file using its own version of the New Window prompt, we’ll quickly see that while it lets us use an Artboard to house our assets (which by default comes unchecked), that’s pretty much all we get in terms of Artboard options.
This means that, if you’re hoping to get the same level of control over the spacing found within your Artboards, their column number, etc., you’re out of luck, since you’ll have to go in manually and do it yourself.
The process of setting up multiple Artboards in itself is pretty annoying, especially when dealing with a larger project, since you’ll have to manually add each Artboard, one at a time.
To do so, you first have to select the Artboard Tool, and then use the Insert Artboard button, which will always add a new Artboard to the right side of the existing one. This can quickly turn into a great source of frustration, since there’s no option of setting up a second row, which means that you’ll end up having a long row of Artboards that you’ll have to manually select and rearrange.
When it comes to the maximum number of Artboards that Affinity allows you to set up, I couldn’t find an official value, so I spent a couple of minutes clicking the Insert Artboard button, and once I reached 999, I was impressed to see that it was still going.
Now, why somebody would actually need 1,000 Artboards is beyond me, but it’s nice to see that the software holds its own when it comes to this particular feature.
2. How Do Smart Guides Behave?
When working on icons, the ability to manually align and/or position composing shapes in relation to one another can quickly make a difference in terms of the amount of tools and buttons you need to use, which will result in a faster workflow.
By default, both programs come with their own versions of smart guides, which behave quite differently, as we will see in the following moments.
While Illustrator’s smart guides implementation is a little more basic from a visual perspective, it does a perfect job at helping us keep track of the center and outer edges of any unselected shape, allowing us to quickly position our active shape in relation to them.
For example, if we needed to align a circle to the left edge of a larger underlying square, we can easily do so by first selecting the shape, and then simply dragging it into the desired position, which will immediately trigger the smart guides.
Once the guides become active, they help us maintain a straight line while dragging, immediately snapping the circle’s bounding box to the edge of the square.
To make things more precise, the software lets us keep track of the number of pixels traveled by our shape through the help of a dedicated info panel, which will indicate the X and Y distances (dX & dY).
When it comes to manually positioning a shape, this feature is actually really helpful, but unfortunately it only works when using a click-and-drag approach, since if you nudge the shape with the help of the directional arrow keys, the info panel will remain hidden.
If we switch over to Affinity, we’ll quickly notice that its version of smart guides behaves pretty much identically. The only key difference is that this time around the software doesn’t come with a dedicated panel meant to keep track of the number of pixels that the active shape has traveled.
While Affinity doesn’t give us the option of keeping track of the distance traveled by an active shape, it does however come with a way better feature: distance tracking between multiple shapes.
For example, let’s say that we want to position our circle 4 px from the square’s bottom edge. In Illustrator, we would first have to align the circle to the edge of the square, and then push it downwards by said distance.
In Affinity, we can easily keep track of the distance found between our circle and the larger square, either by clicking and dragging or using the directional arrow keys, which will immediately give us an indicator of the spacing value found between the two.
The only thing that you need to keep in mind is that as of now, this feature only works with non-overlapping shapes.
For me personally, this approach makes it an essential feature that any icon designer should have and use, which is something that I wish Adobe had implemented in Illustrator for a long time now.
3. How Is the Pixel Preview Support?
When working on icons, there are a couple of tools that are essential to figuring out the size and position of their composing shapes, one of those being the ability to view the actual Pixel Grid.
With Illustrator, Adobe has the best Pixel Preview support to date, since it allows us to view the actual pixel fabric onto which our icons will rest.
By default, the view mode is disabled, but you can easily switch back and forward by heading over to View > Pixel Preview or by using the Alt-Control-Y keyboard shortcut.
Once in Pixel Preview mode, we’ll be able to create and adjust any given shape by taking full advantage of the Pixel Grid. By doing so, we can figure out shape sizes more easily and have a clear view of their spacing and positioning, instead of throwing random shapes all over the place.
If we switch over to Affinity Designer, unfortunately true Pixel Preview support is lacking in a big way, since the available Pixel view mode substitute simply shows us how our design would look at a pixel level, but we can’t see or take advantage of the Pixel Grid.
4. How Does Pixel Snapping Behave?
When it comes to creating pixel-perfect icons, we need to make sure that every shape that we create is perfectly snapped to the underlying Pixel Grid, so that in the end we’ll have a sharp-looking product.
In Illustrator, we can turn on pixel snapping either by heading over to View > Snap to Pixel or by clicking on the Align art to pixel grid on creation and transformation button, which can be found on the upper-right corner of the interface.
Recently, Adobe has introduced a dedicated Pixel Snapping Options panel, which we can access by clicking on the little downward-facing arrow found next to the Align art to pixel grid on creation and transformation button.
Once the panel is visible, we’ll be greeted by three different categories of options that control pixel snapping while drawing, moving, and scaling. These are pretty self-explanatory since if we hover over them, we’ll get a little demonstration of that specific feature.
In terms of the pixel snapping itself, the features behave exactly as advertised, since each shape that you create perfectly snaps to the underlying Pixel Grid, no matter what you do to it.
Affinity Designer uses a similar approach, where we get three dedicated buttons: one to Force Pixel Alignment, one to Move By Whole Pixels, and another one to control advanced Snapping.
Quick tip: you can always access the Snapping Manager by heading over to View > Snapping Manager.
Compared to Adobe, the snapping options are quite interesting this time around, since we get a whole new level of control, even though not all of them are directly linked to pixel snapping.
As with Illustrator, pixel snapping behaves exactly as you would expect, with each shape occupying whole pixels, which is exactly what we want.
5. What Is the Grid Support Like?
When working on icons, you’ll often need to set up some building guidelines to help you define your assets, which are mostly created using Grids.
By doing so, you allow yourself to create your composing shapes using similar sizing values that are created by taking advantage of the gridline system.
Illustrator comes with a dedicated Grid, which can be turned on by heading over to View > Show Grid.
To set up a custom Grid, we need to head over to Edit > Preferences > Guides & Grid where we can adjust the Gridline every and Subdivisions options.
As you can see, Adobe doesn’t give us a whole lot of settings when it comes to setting up a custom Grid, which makes the feature feel outdated.
If we switch over to Affinity, well let’s just say that its implementation of the Grid is quite impressive, since you get a dedicated manager that you can customize and adapt for multiple styles of artwork.
To access the tool, we need to head over to View and then simply click on Grid and Axis Manager.
Once the manager is visible, we can check the Show Grid option, which should make it active throughout the entire document.
Next we have Mode, which is where Affinity truly sets itself apart, since you can choose to go with Basic, which is what Illustrator currently offers, or you can go with Advanced and choose from the different available Grid type options.
As you can see, the number of options is quite impressive, so if you’ve ever wanted to try to design isometric icons, this might be the time to do so.
6. How Is the Asset Export Process?
Finally, let’s talk about asset export, which is an equally important step in the process of creating icons. When dealing with a larger project, you need to make sure that your creative suite of choice is capable of handling the workload.
With Illustrator, Adobe has introduced a dedicated exporting tool, called the Asset Export panel, which can be found within the Layers and Artboards panel group.
To export a set of icons, we first have to add them to the panel, either by clicking and dragging them over or by using the Generate multiple assets from the selection button.
Once we’ve generated our selection of assets, all we have to do is click on the Launch Export for Screens dialog button, which will allow us to adjust our export settings and even add size and format variations based on our needs.
As you can see, the process itself is really straightforward, since all you have to do is click a few buttons and you’re good to export.
Affinity Designer does things a little bit differently, since it comes with what Serif calls an Export Persona, which can be found within the upper-left corner of the application.
Once we’ve switched over to the Export Persona, the application will change, giving us a dedicated Export Options panel, where we can control all the different available settings.
All we have to do to export the icons is check their little checkboxes first, and then simply click on the Export Slices button, which will ask us for a location to store the resulting files.
While the exporting process isn’t all that bad, I personally think that what Illustrator offers is more streamlined and easier to use.
At this point, we’ve managed to cover and compare the key features that you should know when deciding which software is right for you, so it’s now time to move on to the conclusion part of our little discussion.
Conclusion
Through its unique features and ease of use, Illustrator once again proves to hold its own, which I why I believe that for now it’s the best icon design suite out there that you can acquire and use.
The main points that lead to this conclusion are:
advanced Artboard support
advanced pixel preview mode integration
overall better asset export support
That being said, I truly hope this information comes in handy when it comes to deciding which creative suite might be a better fit for you, and if you have any questions in regards to the subject, feel free to post them within the comments section, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
Further Develop Your Icon-Building Skills
Just finished going through this in-depth article, and feel like learning more? Well, if that’s the case, you’re in luck, since I took the time to put together this little list that should keep you going for the following days!
As a designer, you’ve probably wondered which Adobe product does a better job when it comes to the process of creating icons. Some love Photoshop, others…
Learn how to create line icons both in Adobe Illustrator and Affinity Designer, and see how you can craft a usable finished product using a few basic shapes.
In today’s tutorial, we’re going to tackle another icon project, in which we’re going to gradually learn how to create a set of text editor elements, using…
In this Affinity Designer tutorial, you’re going to learn how to create a set of office icons using some simple geometric shapes that we will adjust here and…
To celebrate our tenth birthday, learn how to create a set of ten must-have UI icons, using the most basic shapes and tools that Illustrator has to offer.
Since summer is already upon us, I thought it would be nice to treat you to a little icon tutorial using some of the most common accessories that you would…
In today’s tutorial we’re going to get our fashion on and learn how to create a stylized set of accessories icon pack, using the most basic shapes and tools…
Always wanted to learn how to create a check icon, but never knew exactly where to start? In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to create a check icon in Adobe…
Always wanted to learn how to create a filter icon, but never knew exactly where to start?
In this video, you’ll learn how to create two variations of the…
As an icon designer, I’m constantly looking for new tools that could help me broaden my creativity, while giving me less clutter to deal with.
For years now, Adobe has been regarded as the king of digital creative suites, but recently more and more alternatives have started to take shape, challenging the giant in the process.
Today, I’m going to take one of Adobe’s most popular products and stack it against Affinity Designer, a competitor that has more and more people wondering if it’s time to jump ship and embrace change.
So, if you’re into icon design and want to learn how to make icons, whether it’s minimal icon design such as a check icon or a blog icon or more complex depictions, this article should help you figure out what software might be a better fit for you.
That being said, let the comparison begin.
1. What Is the Artboard Support Like?
When it comes to creating icons, you’ll probably end up working on projects that involve a larger number of assets, which means that the software that you’re using needs to be able to take full advantage of multiple Artboard project files.
With Illustrator, Adobe has managed to put together a great implementation of this feature, since it has a simple and intuitive process, where you can set up and define multiple Artboards from the start using its New Document window prompt.
This approach is hands down the best one yet, since with each new project file, you can decide on the number of Artboards that you’re going to be using, instead of having to do so later on.
Going beyond basic Artboard implementation, Illustrator allows you to take full control over:
the Number of Artboards: as of now, the software supports a maximum number of 1,000 Artboards
the arrangement methods: Grid by Row, Grid by Column, Arrange by Row, Arrange by Column
the Number of Artboards Per Row
Layout orientation: Right-to-Left or Left-to-Right Layout
Spacing: the distance between each Artboard
Columns: the number of columns in which the Artboards will be stacked
With Affinity Designer, Serif has taken a different route, which in this case is pretty disappointing, since its Artboard support is lacking some of the advanced features found in Illustrator. Once you get used to those features, you can’t really go without them.
If we go through the process of setting up a new project file using its own version of the New Window prompt, we’ll quickly see that while it lets us use an Artboard to house our assets (which by default comes unchecked), that’s pretty much all we get in terms of Artboard options.
This means that, if you’re hoping to get the same level of control over the spacing found within your Artboards, their column number, etc., you’re out of luck, since you’ll have to go in manually and do it yourself.
The process of setting up multiple Artboards in itself is pretty annoying, especially when dealing with a larger project, since you’ll have to manually add each Artboard, one at a time.
To do so, you first have to select the Artboard Tool, and then use the Insert Artboard button, which will always add a new Artboard to the right side of the existing one. This can quickly turn into a great source of frustration, since there’s no option of setting up a second row, which means that you’ll end up having a long row of Artboards that you’ll have to manually select and rearrange.
When it comes to the maximum number of Artboards that Affinity allows you to set up, I couldn’t find an official value, so I spent a couple of minutes clicking the Insert Artboard button, and once I reached 999, I was impressed to see that it was still going.
Now, why somebody would actually need 1,000 Artboards is beyond me, but it’s nice to see that the software holds its own when it comes to this particular feature.
2. How Do Smart Guides Behave?
When working on icons, the ability to manually align and/or position composing shapes in relation to one another can quickly make a difference in terms of the amount of tools and buttons you need to use, which will result in a faster workflow.
By default, both programs come with their own versions of smart guides, which behave quite differently, as we will see in the following moments.
While Illustrator’s smart guides implementation is a little more basic from a visual perspective, it does a perfect job at helping us keep track of the center and outer edges of any unselected shape, allowing us to quickly position our active shape in relation to them.
For example, if we needed to align a circle to the left edge of a larger underlying square, we can easily do so by first selecting the shape, and then simply dragging it into the desired position, which will immediately trigger the smart guides.
Once the guides become active, they help us maintain a straight line while dragging, immediately snapping the circle’s bounding box to the edge of the square.
To make things more precise, the software lets us keep track of the number of pixels traveled by our shape through the help of a dedicated info panel, which will indicate the X and Y distances (dX & dY).
When it comes to manually positioning a shape, this feature is actually really helpful, but unfortunately it only works when using a click-and-drag approach, since if you nudge the shape with the help of the directional arrow keys, the info panel will remain hidden.
If we switch over to Affinity, we’ll quickly notice that its version of smart guides behaves pretty much identically. The only key difference is that this time around the software doesn’t come with a dedicated panel meant to keep track of the number of pixels that the active shape has traveled.
While Affinity doesn’t give us the option of keeping track of the distance traveled by an active shape, it does however come with a way better feature: distance tracking between multiple shapes.
For example, let’s say that we want to position our circle 4 px from the square’s bottom edge. In Illustrator, we would first have to align the circle to the edge of the square, and then push it downwards by said distance.
In Affinity, we can easily keep track of the distance found between our circle and the larger square, either by clicking and dragging or using the directional arrow keys, which will immediately give us an indicator of the spacing value found between the two.
The only thing that you need to keep in mind is that as of now, this feature only works with non-overlapping shapes.
For me personally, this approach makes it an essential feature that any icon designer should have and use, which is something that I wish Adobe had implemented in Illustrator for a long time now.
3. How Is the Pixel Preview Support?
When working on icons, there are a couple of tools that are essential to figuring out the size and position of their composing shapes, one of those being the ability to view the actual Pixel Grid.
With Illustrator, Adobe has the best Pixel Preview support to date, since it allows us to view the actual pixel fabric onto which our icons will rest.
By default, the view mode is disabled, but you can easily switch back and forward by heading over to View > Pixel Preview or by using the Alt-Control-Y keyboard shortcut.
Once in Pixel Preview mode, we’ll be able to create and adjust any given shape by taking full advantage of the Pixel Grid. By doing so, we can figure out shape sizes more easily and have a clear view of their spacing and positioning, instead of throwing random shapes all over the place.
If we switch over to Affinity Designer, unfortunately true Pixel Preview support is lacking in a big way, since the available Pixel view mode substitute simply shows us how our design would look at a pixel level, but we can’t see or take advantage of the Pixel Grid.
4. How Does Pixel Snapping Behave?
When it comes to creating pixel-perfect icons, we need to make sure that every shape that we create is perfectly snapped to the underlying Pixel Grid, so that in the end we’ll have a sharp-looking product.
In Illustrator, we can turn on pixel snapping either by heading over to View > Snap to Pixel or by clicking on the Align art to pixel grid on creation and transformation button, which can be found on the upper-right corner of the interface.
Recently, Adobe has introduced a dedicated Pixel Snapping Options panel, which we can access by clicking on the little downward-facing arrow found next to the Align art to pixel grid on creation and transformation button.
Once the panel is visible, we’ll be greeted by three different categories of options that control pixel snapping while drawing, moving, and scaling. These are pretty self-explanatory since if we hover over them, we’ll get a little demonstration of that specific feature.
In terms of the pixel snapping itself, the features behave exactly as advertised, since each shape that you create perfectly snaps to the underlying Pixel Grid, no matter what you do to it.
Affinity Designer uses a similar approach, where we get three dedicated buttons: one to Force Pixel Alignment, one to Move By Whole Pixels, and another one to control advanced Snapping.
Quick tip: you can always access the Snapping Manager by heading over to View > Snapping Manager.
Compared to Adobe, the snapping options are quite interesting this time around, since we get a whole new level of control, even though not all of them are directly linked to pixel snapping.
As with Illustrator, pixel snapping behaves exactly as you would expect, with each shape occupying whole pixels, which is exactly what we want.
5. What Is the Grid Support Like?
When working on icons, you’ll often need to set up some building guidelines to help you define your assets, which are mostly created using Grids.
By doing so, you allow yourself to create your composing shapes using similar sizing values that are created by taking advantage of the gridline system.
Illustrator comes with a dedicated Grid, which can be turned on by heading over to View > Show Grid.
To set up a custom Grid, we need to head over to Edit > Preferences > Guides & Grid where we can adjust the Gridline every and Subdivisions options.
As you can see, Adobe doesn’t give us a whole lot of settings when it comes to setting up a custom Grid, which makes the feature feel outdated.
If we switch over to Affinity, well let’s just say that its implementation of the Grid is quite impressive, since you get a dedicated manager that you can customize and adapt for multiple styles of artwork.
To access the tool, we need to head over to View and then simply click on Grid and Axis Manager.
Once the manager is visible, we can check the Show Grid option, which should make it active throughout the entire document.
Next we have Mode, which is where Affinity truly sets itself apart, since you can choose to go with Basic, which is what Illustrator currently offers, or you can go with Advanced and choose from the different available Grid type options.
As you can see, the number of options is quite impressive, so if you’ve ever wanted to try to design isometric icons, this might be the time to do so.
6. How Is the Asset Export Process?
Finally, let’s talk about asset export, which is an equally important step in the process of creating icons. When dealing with a larger project, you need to make sure that your creative suite of choice is capable of handling the workload.
With Illustrator, Adobe has introduced a dedicated exporting tool, called the Asset Export panel, which can be found within the Layers and Artboards panel group.
To export a set of icons, we first have to add them to the panel, either by clicking and dragging them over or by using the Generate multiple assets from the selection button.
Once we’ve generated our selection of assets, all we have to do is click on the Launch Export for Screens dialog button, which will allow us to adjust our export settings and even add size and format variations based on our needs.
As you can see, the process itself is really straightforward, since all you have to do is click a few buttons and you’re good to export.
Affinity Designer does things a little bit differently, since it comes with what Serif calls an Export Persona, which can be found within the upper-left corner of the application.
Once we’ve switched over to the Export Persona, the application will change, giving us a dedicated Export Options panel, where we can control all the different available settings.
All we have to do to export the icons is check their little checkboxes first, and then simply click on the Export Slices button, which will ask us for a location to store the resulting files.
While the exporting process isn’t all that bad, I personally think that what Illustrator offers is more streamlined and easier to use.
At this point, we’ve managed to cover and compare the key features that you should know when deciding which software is right for you, so it’s now time to move on to the conclusion part of our little discussion.
Conclusion
Through its unique features and ease of use, Illustrator once again proves to hold its own, which I why I believe that for now it’s the best icon design suite out there that you can acquire and use.
The main points that lead to this conclusion are:
advanced Artboard support
advanced pixel preview mode integration
overall better asset export support
That being said, I truly hope this information comes in handy when it comes to deciding which creative suite might be a better fit for you, and if you have any questions in regards to the subject, feel free to post them within the comments section, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
Further Develop Your Icon-Building Skills
Just finished going through this in-depth article, and feel like learning more? Well, if that’s the case, you’re in luck, since I took the time to put together this little list that should keep you going for the following days!
As a designer, you’ve probably wondered which Adobe product does a better job when it comes to the process of creating icons. Some love Photoshop, others…
Learn how to create line icons both in Adobe Illustrator and Affinity Designer, and see how you can craft a usable finished product using a few basic shapes.
In today’s tutorial, we’re going to tackle another icon project, in which we’re going to gradually learn how to create a set of text editor elements, using…
In this Affinity Designer tutorial, you’re going to learn how to create a set of office icons using some simple geometric shapes that we will adjust here and…
To celebrate our tenth birthday, learn how to create a set of ten must-have UI icons, using the most basic shapes and tools that Illustrator has to offer.
Since summer is already upon us, I thought it would be nice to treat you to a little icon tutorial using some of the most common accessories that you would…
In today’s tutorial we’re going to get our fashion on and learn how to create a stylized set of accessories icon pack, using the most basic shapes and tools…
Always wanted to learn how to create a check icon, but never knew exactly where to start? In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to create a check icon in Adobe…
Always wanted to learn how to create a filter icon, but never knew exactly where to start?
In this video, you’ll learn how to create two variations of the…
As an icon designer, I’m constantly looking for new tools that could help me broaden my creativity, while giving me less clutter to deal with.
For years now, Adobe has been regarded as the king of digital creative suites, but recently more and more alternatives have started to take shape, challenging the giant in the process.
Today, I’m going to take one of Adobe’s most popular products and stack it against Affinity Designer, a competitor that has more and more people wondering if it’s time to jump ship and embrace change.
So, if you’re into icon design and want to learn how to make icons, whether it’s minimal icon design such as a check icon or a blog icon or more complex depictions, this article should help you figure out what software might be a better fit for you.
That being said, let the comparison begin.
1. What Is the Artboard Support Like?
When it comes to creating icons, you’ll probably end up working on projects that involve a larger number of assets, which means that the software that you’re using needs to be able to take full advantage of multiple Artboard project files.
With Illustrator, Adobe has managed to put together a great implementation of this feature, since it has a simple and intuitive process, where you can set up and define multiple Artboards from the start using its New Document window prompt.
This approach is hands down the best one yet, since with each new project file, you can decide on the number of Artboards that you’re going to be using, instead of having to do so later on.
Going beyond basic Artboard implementation, Illustrator allows you to take full control over:
the Number of Artboards: as of now, the software supports a maximum number of 1,000 Artboards
the arrangement methods: Grid by Row, Grid by Column, Arrange by Row, Arrange by Column
the Number of Artboards Per Row
Layout orientation: Right-to-Left or Left-to-Right Layout
Spacing: the distance between each Artboard
Columns: the number of columns in which the Artboards will be stacked
With Affinity Designer, Serif has taken a different route, which in this case is pretty disappointing, since its Artboard support is lacking some of the advanced features found in Illustrator. Once you get used to those features, you can’t really go without them.
If we go through the process of setting up a new project file using its own version of the New Window prompt, we’ll quickly see that while it lets us use an Artboard to house our assets (which by default comes unchecked), that’s pretty much all we get in terms of Artboard options.
This means that, if you’re hoping to get the same level of control over the spacing found within your Artboards, their column number, etc., you’re out of luck, since you’ll have to go in manually and do it yourself.
The process of setting up multiple Artboards in itself is pretty annoying, especially when dealing with a larger project, since you’ll have to manually add each Artboard, one at a time.
To do so, you first have to select the Artboard Tool, and then use the Insert Artboard button, which will always add a new Artboard to the right side of the existing one. This can quickly turn into a great source of frustration, since there’s no option of setting up a second row, which means that you’ll end up having a long row of Artboards that you’ll have to manually select and rearrange.
When it comes to the maximum number of Artboards that Affinity allows you to set up, I couldn’t find an official value, so I spent a couple of minutes clicking the Insert Artboard button, and once I reached 999, I was impressed to see that it was still going.
Now, why somebody would actually need 1,000 Artboards is beyond me, but it’s nice to see that the software holds its own when it comes to this particular feature.
2. How Do Smart Guides Behave?
When working on icons, the ability to manually align and/or position composing shapes in relation to one another can quickly make a difference in terms of the amount of tools and buttons you need to use, which will result in a faster workflow.
By default, both programs come with their own versions of smart guides, which behave quite differently, as we will see in the following moments.
While Illustrator’s smart guides implementation is a little more basic from a visual perspective, it does a perfect job at helping us keep track of the center and outer edges of any unselected shape, allowing us to quickly position our active shape in relation to them.
For example, if we needed to align a circle to the left edge of a larger underlying square, we can easily do so by first selecting the shape, and then simply dragging it into the desired position, which will immediately trigger the smart guides.
Once the guides become active, they help us maintain a straight line while dragging, immediately snapping the circle’s bounding box to the edge of the square.
To make things more precise, the software lets us keep track of the number of pixels traveled by our shape through the help of a dedicated info panel, which will indicate the X and Y distances (dX & dY).
When it comes to manually positioning a shape, this feature is actually really helpful, but unfortunately it only works when using a click-and-drag approach, since if you nudge the shape with the help of the directional arrow keys, the info panel will remain hidden.
If we switch over to Affinity, we’ll quickly notice that its version of smart guides behaves pretty much identically. The only key difference is that this time around the software doesn’t come with a dedicated panel meant to keep track of the number of pixels that the active shape has traveled.
While Affinity doesn’t give us the option of keeping track of the distance traveled by an active shape, it does however come with a way better feature: distance tracking between multiple shapes.
For example, let’s say that we want to position our circle 4 px from the square’s bottom edge. In Illustrator, we would first have to align the circle to the edge of the square, and then push it downwards by said distance.
In Affinity, we can easily keep track of the distance found between our circle and the larger square, either by clicking and dragging or using the directional arrow keys, which will immediately give us an indicator of the spacing value found between the two.
The only thing that you need to keep in mind is that as of now, this feature only works with non-overlapping shapes.
For me personally, this approach makes it an essential feature that any icon designer should have and use, which is something that I wish Adobe had implemented in Illustrator for a long time now.
3. How Is the Pixel Preview Support?
When working on icons, there are a couple of tools that are essential to figuring out the size and position of their composing shapes, one of those being the ability to view the actual Pixel Grid.
With Illustrator, Adobe has the best Pixel Preview support to date, since it allows us to view the actual pixel fabric onto which our icons will rest.
By default, the view mode is disabled, but you can easily switch back and forward by heading over to View > Pixel Preview or by using the Alt-Control-Y keyboard shortcut.
Once in Pixel Preview mode, we’ll be able to create and adjust any given shape by taking full advantage of the Pixel Grid. By doing so, we can figure out shape sizes more easily and have a clear view of their spacing and positioning, instead of throwing random shapes all over the place.
If we switch over to Affinity Designer, unfortunately true Pixel Preview support is lacking in a big way, since the available Pixel view mode substitute simply shows us how our design would look at a pixel level, but we can’t see or take advantage of the Pixel Grid.
4. How Does Pixel Snapping Behave?
When it comes to creating pixel-perfect icons, we need to make sure that every shape that we create is perfectly snapped to the underlying Pixel Grid, so that in the end we’ll have a sharp-looking product.
In Illustrator, we can turn on pixel snapping either by heading over to View > Snap to Pixel or by clicking on the Align art to pixel grid on creation and transformation button, which can be found on the upper-right corner of the interface.
Recently, Adobe has introduced a dedicated Pixel Snapping Options panel, which we can access by clicking on the little downward-facing arrow found next to the Align art to pixel grid on creation and transformation button.
Once the panel is visible, we’ll be greeted by three different categories of options that control pixel snapping while drawing, moving, and scaling. These are pretty self-explanatory since if we hover over them, we’ll get a little demonstration of that specific feature.
In terms of the pixel snapping itself, the features behave exactly as advertised, since each shape that you create perfectly snaps to the underlying Pixel Grid, no matter what you do to it.
Affinity Designer uses a similar approach, where we get three dedicated buttons: one to Force Pixel Alignment, one to Move By Whole Pixels, and another one to control advanced Snapping.
Quick tip: you can always access the Snapping Manager by heading over to View > Snapping Manager.
Compared to Adobe, the snapping options are quite interesting this time around, since we get a whole new level of control, even though not all of them are directly linked to pixel snapping.
As with Illustrator, pixel snapping behaves exactly as you would expect, with each shape occupying whole pixels, which is exactly what we want.
5. What Is the Grid Support Like?
When working on icons, you’ll often need to set up some building guidelines to help you define your assets, which are mostly created using Grids.
By doing so, you allow yourself to create your composing shapes using similar sizing values that are created by taking advantage of the gridline system.
Illustrator comes with a dedicated Grid, which can be turned on by heading over to View > Show Grid.
To set up a custom Grid, we need to head over to Edit > Preferences > Guides & Grid where we can adjust the Gridline every and Subdivisions options.
As you can see, Adobe doesn’t give us a whole lot of settings when it comes to setting up a custom Grid, which makes the feature feel outdated.
If we switch over to Affinity, well let’s just say that its implementation of the Grid is quite impressive, since you get a dedicated manager that you can customize and adapt for multiple styles of artwork.
To access the tool, we need to head over to View and then simply click on Grid and Axis Manager.
Once the manager is visible, we can check the Show Grid option, which should make it active throughout the entire document.
Next we have Mode, which is where Affinity truly sets itself apart, since you can choose to go with Basic, which is what Illustrator currently offers, or you can go with Advanced and choose from the different available Grid type options.
As you can see, the number of options is quite impressive, so if you’ve ever wanted to try to design isometric icons, this might be the time to do so.
6. How Is the Asset Export Process?
Finally, let’s talk about asset export, which is an equally important step in the process of creating icons. When dealing with a larger project, you need to make sure that your creative suite of choice is capable of handling the workload.
With Illustrator, Adobe has introduced a dedicated exporting tool, called the Asset Export panel, which can be found within the Layers and Artboards panel group.
To export a set of icons, we first have to add them to the panel, either by clicking and dragging them over or by using the Generate multiple assets from the selection button.
Once we’ve generated our selection of assets, all we have to do is click on the Launch Export for Screens dialog button, which will allow us to adjust our export settings and even add size and format variations based on our needs.
As you can see, the process itself is really straightforward, since all you have to do is click a few buttons and you’re good to export.
Affinity Designer does things a little bit differently, since it comes with what Serif calls an Export Persona, which can be found within the upper-left corner of the application.
Once we’ve switched over to the Export Persona, the application will change, giving us a dedicated Export Options panel, where we can control all the different available settings.
All we have to do to export the icons is check their little checkboxes first, and then simply click on the Export Slices button, which will ask us for a location to store the resulting files.
While the exporting process isn’t all that bad, I personally think that what Illustrator offers is more streamlined and easier to use.
At this point, we’ve managed to cover and compare the key features that you should know when deciding which software is right for you, so it’s now time to move on to the conclusion part of our little discussion.
Conclusion
Through its unique features and ease of use, Illustrator once again proves to hold its own, which I why I believe that for now it’s the best icon design suite out there that you can acquire and use.
The main points that lead to this conclusion are:
advanced Artboard support
advanced pixel preview mode integration
overall better asset export support
That being said, I truly hope this information comes in handy when it comes to deciding which creative suite might be a better fit for you, and if you have any questions in regards to the subject, feel free to post them within the comments section, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
Further Develop Your Icon-Building Skills
Just finished going through this in-depth article, and feel like learning more? Well, if that’s the case, you’re in luck, since I took the time to put together this little list that should keep you going for the following days!
As a designer, you’ve probably wondered which Adobe product does a better job when it comes to the process of creating icons. Some love Photoshop, others…
Learn how to create line icons both in Adobe Illustrator and Affinity Designer, and see how you can craft a usable finished product using a few basic shapes.
In today’s tutorial, we’re going to tackle another icon project, in which we’re going to gradually learn how to create a set of text editor elements, using…
In this Affinity Designer tutorial, you’re going to learn how to create a set of office icons using some simple geometric shapes that we will adjust here and…
To celebrate our tenth birthday, learn how to create a set of ten must-have UI icons, using the most basic shapes and tools that Illustrator has to offer.
Since summer is already upon us, I thought it would be nice to treat you to a little icon tutorial using some of the most common accessories that you would…
In today’s tutorial we’re going to get our fashion on and learn how to create a stylized set of accessories icon pack, using the most basic shapes and tools…
Always wanted to learn how to create a check icon, but never knew exactly where to start? In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to create a check icon in Adobe…
Always wanted to learn how to create a filter icon, but never knew exactly where to start?
In this video, you’ll learn how to create two variations of the…
As an icon designer, I’m constantly looking for new tools that could help me broaden my creativity, while giving me less clutter to deal with.
For years now, Adobe has been regarded as the king of digital creative suites, but recently more and more alternatives have started to take shape, challenging the giant in the process.
Today, I’m going to take one of Adobe’s most popular products and stack it against Affinity Designer, a competitor that has more and more people wondering if it’s time to jump ship and embrace change.
So, if you’re into icon design and want to learn how to make icons, whether it’s minimal icon design such as a check icon or a blog icon or more complex depictions, this article should help you figure out what software might be a better fit for you.
That being said, let the comparison begin.
1. What Is the Artboard Support Like?
When it comes to creating icons, you’ll probably end up working on projects that involve a larger number of assets, which means that the software that you’re using needs to be able to take full advantage of multiple Artboard project files.
With Illustrator, Adobe has managed to put together a great implementation of this feature, since it has a simple and intuitive process, where you can set up and define multiple Artboards from the start using its New Document window prompt.
This approach is hands down the best one yet, since with each new project file, you can decide on the number of Artboards that you’re going to be using, instead of having to do so later on.
Going beyond basic Artboard implementation, Illustrator allows you to take full control over:
the Number of Artboards: as of now, the software supports a maximum number of 1,000 Artboards
the arrangement methods: Grid by Row, Grid by Column, Arrange by Row, Arrange by Column
the Number of Artboards Per Row
Layout orientation: Right-to-Left or Left-to-Right Layout
Spacing: the distance between each Artboard
Columns: the number of columns in which the Artboards will be stacked
With Affinity Designer, Serif has taken a different route, which in this case is pretty disappointing, since its Artboard support is lacking some of the advanced features found in Illustrator. Once you get used to those features, you can’t really go without them.
If we go through the process of setting up a new project file using its own version of the New Window prompt, we’ll quickly see that while it lets us use an Artboard to house our assets (which by default comes unchecked), that’s pretty much all we get in terms of Artboard options.
This means that, if you’re hoping to get the same level of control over the spacing found within your Artboards, their column number, etc., you’re out of luck, since you’ll have to go in manually and do it yourself.
The process of setting up multiple Artboards in itself is pretty annoying, especially when dealing with a larger project, since you’ll have to manually add each Artboard, one at a time.
To do so, you first have to select the Artboard Tool, and then use the Insert Artboard button, which will always add a new Artboard to the right side of the existing one. This can quickly turn into a great source of frustration, since there’s no option of setting up a second row, which means that you’ll end up having a long row of Artboards that you’ll have to manually select and rearrange.
When it comes to the maximum number of Artboards that Affinity allows you to set up, I couldn’t find an official value, so I spent a couple of minutes clicking the Insert Artboard button, and once I reached 999, I was impressed to see that it was still going.
Now, why somebody would actually need 1,000 Artboards is beyond me, but it’s nice to see that the software holds its own when it comes to this particular feature.
2. How Do Smart Guides Behave?
When working on icons, the ability to manually align and/or position composing shapes in relation to one another can quickly make a difference in terms of the amount of tools and buttons you need to use, which will result in a faster workflow.
By default, both programs come with their own versions of smart guides, which behave quite differently, as we will see in the following moments.
While Illustrator’s smart guides implementation is a little more basic from a visual perspective, it does a perfect job at helping us keep track of the center and outer edges of any unselected shape, allowing us to quickly position our active shape in relation to them.
For example, if we needed to align a circle to the left edge of a larger underlying square, we can easily do so by first selecting the shape, and then simply dragging it into the desired position, which will immediately trigger the smart guides.
Once the guides become active, they help us maintain a straight line while dragging, immediately snapping the circle’s bounding box to the edge of the square.
To make things more precise, the software lets us keep track of the number of pixels traveled by our shape through the help of a dedicated info panel, which will indicate the X and Y distances (dX & dY).
When it comes to manually positioning a shape, this feature is actually really helpful, but unfortunately it only works when using a click-and-drag approach, since if you nudge the shape with the help of the directional arrow keys, the info panel will remain hidden.
If we switch over to Affinity, we’ll quickly notice that its version of smart guides behaves pretty much identically. The only key difference is that this time around the software doesn’t come with a dedicated panel meant to keep track of the number of pixels that the active shape has traveled.
While Affinity doesn’t give us the option of keeping track of the distance traveled by an active shape, it does however come with a way better feature: distance tracking between multiple shapes.
For example, let’s say that we want to position our circle 4 px from the square’s bottom edge. In Illustrator, we would first have to align the circle to the edge of the square, and then push it downwards by said distance.
In Affinity, we can easily keep track of the distance found between our circle and the larger square, either by clicking and dragging or using the directional arrow keys, which will immediately give us an indicator of the spacing value found between the two.
The only thing that you need to keep in mind is that as of now, this feature only works with non-overlapping shapes.
For me personally, this approach makes it an essential feature that any icon designer should have and use, which is something that I wish Adobe had implemented in Illustrator for a long time now.
3. How Is the Pixel Preview Support?
When working on icons, there are a couple of tools that are essential to figuring out the size and position of their composing shapes, one of those being the ability to view the actual Pixel Grid.
With Illustrator, Adobe has the best Pixel Preview support to date, since it allows us to view the actual pixel fabric onto which our icons will rest.
By default, the view mode is disabled, but you can easily switch back and forward by heading over to View > Pixel Preview or by using the Alt-Control-Y keyboard shortcut.
Once in Pixel Preview mode, we’ll be able to create and adjust any given shape by taking full advantage of the Pixel Grid. By doing so, we can figure out shape sizes more easily and have a clear view of their spacing and positioning, instead of throwing random shapes all over the place.
If we switch over to Affinity Designer, unfortunately true Pixel Preview support is lacking in a big way, since the available Pixel view mode substitute simply shows us how our design would look at a pixel level, but we can’t see or take advantage of the Pixel Grid.
4. How Does Pixel Snapping Behave?
When it comes to creating pixel-perfect icons, we need to make sure that every shape that we create is perfectly snapped to the underlying Pixel Grid, so that in the end we’ll have a sharp-looking product.
In Illustrator, we can turn on pixel snapping either by heading over to View > Snap to Pixel or by clicking on the Align art to pixel grid on creation and transformation button, which can be found on the upper-right corner of the interface.
Recently, Adobe has introduced a dedicated Pixel Snapping Options panel, which we can access by clicking on the little downward-facing arrow found next to the Align art to pixel grid on creation and transformation button.
Once the panel is visible, we’ll be greeted by three different categories of options that control pixel snapping while drawing, moving, and scaling. These are pretty self-explanatory since if we hover over them, we’ll get a little demonstration of that specific feature.
In terms of the pixel snapping itself, the features behave exactly as advertised, since each shape that you create perfectly snaps to the underlying Pixel Grid, no matter what you do to it.
Affinity Designer uses a similar approach, where we get three dedicated buttons: one to Force Pixel Alignment, one to Move By Whole Pixels, and another one to control advanced Snapping.
Quick tip: you can always access the Snapping Manager by heading over to View > Snapping Manager.
Compared to Adobe, the snapping options are quite interesting this time around, since we get a whole new level of control, even though not all of them are directly linked to pixel snapping.
As with Illustrator, pixel snapping behaves exactly as you would expect, with each shape occupying whole pixels, which is exactly what we want.
5. What Is the Grid Support Like?
When working on icons, you’ll often need to set up some building guidelines to help you define your assets, which are mostly created using Grids.
By doing so, you allow yourself to create your composing shapes using similar sizing values that are created by taking advantage of the gridline system.
Illustrator comes with a dedicated Grid, which can be turned on by heading over to View > Show Grid.
To set up a custom Grid, we need to head over to Edit > Preferences > Guides & Grid where we can adjust the Gridline every and Subdivisions options.
As you can see, Adobe doesn’t give us a whole lot of settings when it comes to setting up a custom Grid, which makes the feature feel outdated.
If we switch over to Affinity, well let’s just say that its implementation of the Grid is quite impressive, since you get a dedicated manager that you can customize and adapt for multiple styles of artwork.
To access the tool, we need to head over to View and then simply click on Grid and Axis Manager.
Once the manager is visible, we can check the Show Grid option, which should make it active throughout the entire document.
Next we have Mode, which is where Affinity truly sets itself apart, since you can choose to go with Basic, which is what Illustrator currently offers, or you can go with Advanced and choose from the different available Grid type options.
As you can see, the number of options is quite impressive, so if you’ve ever wanted to try to design isometric icons, this might be the time to do so.
6. How Is the Asset Export Process?
Finally, let’s talk about asset export, which is an equally important step in the process of creating icons. When dealing with a larger project, you need to make sure that your creative suite of choice is capable of handling the workload.
With Illustrator, Adobe has introduced a dedicated exporting tool, called the Asset Export panel, which can be found within the Layers and Artboards panel group.
To export a set of icons, we first have to add them to the panel, either by clicking and dragging them over or by using the Generate multiple assets from the selection button.
Once we’ve generated our selection of assets, all we have to do is click on the Launch Export for Screens dialog button, which will allow us to adjust our export settings and even add size and format variations based on our needs.
As you can see, the process itself is really straightforward, since all you have to do is click a few buttons and you’re good to export.
Affinity Designer does things a little bit differently, since it comes with what Serif calls an Export Persona, which can be found within the upper-left corner of the application.
Once we’ve switched over to the Export Persona, the application will change, giving us a dedicated Export Options panel, where we can control all the different available settings.
All we have to do to export the icons is check their little checkboxes first, and then simply click on the Export Slices button, which will ask us for a location to store the resulting files.
While the exporting process isn’t all that bad, I personally think that what Illustrator offers is more streamlined and easier to use.
At this point, we’ve managed to cover and compare the key features that you should know when deciding which software is right for you, so it’s now time to move on to the conclusion part of our little discussion.
Conclusion
Through its unique features and ease of use, Illustrator once again proves to hold its own, which I why I believe that for now it’s the best icon design suite out there that you can acquire and use.
The main points that lead to this conclusion are:
advanced Artboard support
advanced pixel preview mode integration
overall better asset export support
That being said, I truly hope this information comes in handy when it comes to deciding which creative suite might be a better fit for you, and if you have any questions in regards to the subject, feel free to post them within the comments section, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
Further Develop Your Icon-Building Skills
Just finished going through this in-depth article, and feel like learning more? Well, if that’s the case, you’re in luck, since I took the time to put together this little list that should keep you going for the following days!
As a designer, you’ve probably wondered which Adobe product does a better job when it comes to the process of creating icons. Some love Photoshop, others…
Learn how to create line icons both in Adobe Illustrator and Affinity Designer, and see how you can craft a usable finished product using a few basic shapes.
In today’s tutorial, we’re going to tackle another icon project, in which we’re going to gradually learn how to create a set of text editor elements, using…
In this Affinity Designer tutorial, you’re going to learn how to create a set of office icons using some simple geometric shapes that we will adjust here and…
To celebrate our tenth birthday, learn how to create a set of ten must-have UI icons, using the most basic shapes and tools that Illustrator has to offer.
Since summer is already upon us, I thought it would be nice to treat you to a little icon tutorial using some of the most common accessories that you would…
In today’s tutorial we’re going to get our fashion on and learn how to create a stylized set of accessories icon pack, using the most basic shapes and tools…
Always wanted to learn how to create a check icon, but never knew exactly where to start? In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to create a check icon in Adobe…
Always wanted to learn how to create a filter icon, but never knew exactly where to start?
In this video, you’ll learn how to create two variations of the…
In this tutorial, I will show you how to create a realistic embroidery text effect in Photoshop using stitch brushes and layer styles. The end result will be a font that looks like embroidery!
Create a new 1100 x 600 px document, and create a new layer called Jeans Background. Copy and Paste the Jeans Texture on this layer. Make sure you use the large texture (2000 x 1500 px).
Step 2
Create a new layer called Textured and Fill it with white. Make sure you have the Foreground Color set to white and the Background Color set to black. Go to Filter > Render > Clouds.
Step 3
Go to Filter > Brush Strokes > Crosshatch. Set the Stroke Length to 15, Sharpness to 16, and Strength to 2. You can, of course, change the settings to your liking.
Step 4
Set the blend mode of the Textured layer to Soft Light and around 50% Opacity. If you want, you can change the color of the jeans; add a Color Overlay style to the Textured layer with blend mode Color and simply pick a color that you like.
2. Create the Stitch Brushes
Step 1
In order to finish the jeans background and to start creating the stitched embroidery effect, we need some stitch brushes that we are going to make from scratch.
Create a new PSD file, size 27 x 5 px. Fill the canvas with color black. Go to Edit > Define Brush Preset. Set the brush name to „stitch” and click OK.
You can now close the new PSD file without saving and return to the initial PSD file (the one with the jeans background).
Step 2
Now we are going to modify the brush that we just made, to create a custom brush. Choose the Brush Tool and select the „stitch” brush from the Brush Preset Picker. Toggle the Brush Panel and make the following settings: Angle90, Roundness50%, Spacing87%, and set the Angle Jitter to Direction.
Step 3
Click on the top right corner of the Brush Panel and choose New Brush Preset. Name the new brush „stitch1”.
Step 4
Now we’ll create the second brush. Again choose the Brush Tool and select the „stitch” brush from the Brush Preset Picker. Toggle the Brush Panel and make the following settings: Spacing750% and set the Angle Jitter to Direction.
Step 5
Click on the top right corner of the Brush Panel and choose New Brush Preset. Name the new brush „stitch2”.
3. Add Sewing Details
Step 1
Use the Rectangle Tool and draw a shape as shown in the preview image. Make sure it exceeds the canvas on the top and left/right edges. Name this layer Jeans Border.
Step 2
Go to Filter > Distort > Wave and set the Wavelength, Amplitude and Scale to create a wavy border. Also go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to 0.7 pixels.
Step 3
Add this layer style to the Jeans Border layer: Drop Shadow (color #131e26), Inner Shadow (color #131e26), Inner Glow (color #ffffff), Bevel and Emboss (colors: #ffffffand#131e26).
Step 4
Create a new layer and call it Stitch. Pick the Brush Tool and choose the „stitch2” brush. Set the size to around 13 px and the color to #ffffff. Keep the Shift key pressed to draw a straight line. Add another line on the bottom of the jeans background in the same way.
Step 5
Add this layer style to the Stitch layer: Drop Shadow, Inner Glow, Bevel and Emboss, Stroke.
Step 6
Go to Filter > Distort > Ripple and set the Amount 30% and Size Small. Your result should now look like this.
Step 7
Create a new layer and call it Ripple Edge. Take the Brush Tool and pick the Soft Round Brush which is a default Adobe Photoshop brush that you should have in your list. Toggle the Brush panel to customize the brush and make these settings: Size 50 px, Angle 90, Roundness 45%, Spacing 150%.
Step 8
Draw two lines using this custom brush and color white. Set the blend mode of the Ripple Edge layer to Overlay, 40% opacity level. Also add a Drop Shadow layer style (color #0f1114).
4. How to Create an Embroidery Effect in Photoshop
Step 1
Create a new text layer and call it Embroidered Text. Type your text using the False Positive font. Click on the Toggle the Character and Paragraph Panels button and set the Font Size toaround 230 px, Vertically/Horizontally Scale, etc., as shown in the preview.
You can of course use any font type you want or even combine text and vector shapes. In this last case you will have to convert the layers into a smart object.
Step 2
Add a Stroke layer style to the Embroidered Text layer. I am doing that to make the text a little thinner. Right click on the layer and Convert to Smart Object.
Step 3
Again, add this layer style to the Embroidered Text smart object: Drop Shadow (color#000000), Inner Shadow (color#000000), Bevel and Emboss (colors #ffffffand #000000, Bevel and Emboss – Texture (Pattern „pixel-pattern-diagonal”), Color Overlay (color #686565).
Step 4
Convert the layer into a smart object one more time to be able to add another layer style without rasterizing the effects. Press Control-T to transform the smart object and scale it to 130% on both the horizontal and vertical scales.
Step 5
Duplicate the Embroidered Text smart object and call it Shadow. Move this layer below the Embroidered Text smart object.
Step 6
Now we’ll add layer styles for each of these two layers. Let’s start with the Embroidered Text smart object. Add an Inner Shadow (color#000000), Bevel and Emboss (colors#ffffffand#000000), Color Overlay (color #ffc000)and Gradient Overlay (colors #ffffffand#ffffff). You can choose any Color Overlay you like, but just make sure to also adjust the Gradient Overlay opacity if you want a darker or lighter color tone.
Step 7
To make the effect more realistic, let’s add a Filter > Distort > Ripple and a Filter > Distort > Noise effect. These two effects are added as Smart Filters so you can edit them at any time by double clicking on the Filter name.
Step 8
Go to the Shadow Layer and set the Fill to 0%. Next, add a Bevel and Emboss (colors#ffffffand#000000) layer style. The embroidered text should now look like this.
Step 9
Create a new layer just below the Shadow layer and name it Stitched Border. Keep the Control key pressed and click on the Embroidered Text layer thumbnail to make a selection. Go to Select > Modify > Expand and expand by 5 pixels.
Step 10
Go to the Paths tab and choose Make Work Path.
Step 11
Select the Brush Tool, color #ffffff, and pick the „stitch1” brush. Again from the Paths tab, choose Stroke Path. Press Delete to remove the work path.
Step 12
Add a Drop Shadow (color#000000) layer style to the Stitched Border layer. Convert this layer to a smart object.
Step 13
Finally, let’s add a layer style to the Stitched Border smart object: Drop Shadow (color #161616), Inner Shadow (color #161616), Bevel and Emboss (color #ffffff and #161616), Color Overlay (color #f5f5f5—you can choose any color you want for the stitch).
Congratulations! You’re Done!
In this tutorial you learned how to create an embroidered text effect in Adobe Photoshop. I hope you’ve enjoyed this tutorial.
In this tutorial, I will show you how to create a realistic embroidery text effect in Photoshop using stitch brushes and layer styles. The end result will be a font that looks like embroidery!
Create a new 1100 x 600 px document, and create a new layer called Jeans Background. Copy and Paste the Jeans Texture on this layer. Make sure you use the large texture (2000 x 1500 px).
Step 2
Create a new layer called Textured and Fill it with white. Make sure you have the Foreground Color set to white and the Background Color set to black. Go to Filter > Render > Clouds.
Step 3
Go to Filter > Brush Strokes > Crosshatch. Set the Stroke Length to 15, Sharpness to 16, and Strength to 2. You can, of course, change the settings to your liking.
Step 4
Set the blend mode of the Textured layer to Soft Light and around 50% Opacity. If you want, you can change the color of the jeans; add a Color Overlay style to the Textured layer with blend mode Color and simply pick a color that you like.
2. Create the Stitch Brushes
Step 1
In order to finish the jeans background and to start creating the stitched embroidery effect, we need some stitch brushes that we are going to make from scratch.
Create a new PSD file, size 27 x 5 px. Fill the canvas with color black. Go to Edit > Define Brush Preset. Set the brush name to „stitch” and click OK.
You can now close the new PSD file without saving and return to the initial PSD file (the one with the jeans background).
Step 2
Now we are going to modify the brush that we just made, to create a custom brush. Choose the Brush Tool and select the „stitch” brush from the Brush Preset Picker. Toggle the Brush Panel and make the following settings: Angle90, Roundness50%, Spacing87%, and set the Angle Jitter to Direction.
Step 3
Click on the top right corner of the Brush Panel and choose New Brush Preset. Name the new brush „stitch1”.
Step 4
Now we’ll create the second brush. Again choose the Brush Tool and select the „stitch” brush from the Brush Preset Picker. Toggle the Brush Panel and make the following settings: Spacing750% and set the Angle Jitter to Direction.
Step 5
Click on the top right corner of the Brush Panel and choose New Brush Preset. Name the new brush „stitch2”.
3. Add Sewing Details
Step 1
Use the Rectangle Tool and draw a shape as shown in the preview image. Make sure it exceeds the canvas on the top and left/right edges. Name this layer Jeans Border.
Step 2
Go to Filter > Distort > Wave and set the Wavelength, Amplitude and Scale to create a wavy border. Also go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to 0.7 pixels.
Step 3
Add this layer style to the Jeans Border layer: Drop Shadow (color #131e26), Inner Shadow (color #131e26), Inner Glow (color #ffffff), Bevel and Emboss (colors: #ffffffand#131e26).
Step 4
Create a new layer and call it Stitch. Pick the Brush Tool and choose the „stitch2” brush. Set the size to around 13 px and the color to #ffffff. Keep the Shift key pressed to draw a straight line. Add another line on the bottom of the jeans background in the same way.
Step 5
Add this layer style to the Stitch layer: Drop Shadow, Inner Glow, Bevel and Emboss, Stroke.
Step 6
Go to Filter > Distort > Ripple and set the Amount 30% and Size Small. Your result should now look like this.
Step 7
Create a new layer and call it Ripple Edge. Take the Brush Tool and pick the Soft Round Brush which is a default Adobe Photoshop brush that you should have in your list. Toggle the Brush panel to customize the brush and make these settings: Size 50 px, Angle 90, Roundness 45%, Spacing 150%.
Step 8
Draw two lines using this custom brush and color white. Set the blend mode of the Ripple Edge layer to Overlay, 40% opacity level. Also add a Drop Shadow layer style (color #0f1114).
4. How to Create an Embroidery Effect in Photoshop
Step 1
Create a new text layer and call it Embroidered Text. Type your text using the False Positive font. Click on the Toggle the Character and Paragraph Panels button and set the Font Size toaround 230 px, Vertically/Horizontally Scale, etc., as shown in the preview.
You can of course use any font type you want or even combine text and vector shapes. In this last case you will have to convert the layers into a smart object.
Step 2
Add a Stroke layer style to the Embroidered Text layer. I am doing that to make the text a little thinner. Right click on the layer and Convert to Smart Object.
Step 3
Again, add this layer style to the Embroidered Text smart object: Drop Shadow (color#000000), Inner Shadow (color#000000), Bevel and Emboss (colors #ffffffand #000000, Bevel and Emboss – Texture (Pattern „pixel-pattern-diagonal”), Color Overlay (color #686565).
Step 4
Convert the layer into a smart object one more time to be able to add another layer style without rasterizing the effects. Press Control-T to transform the smart object and scale it to 130% on both the horizontal and vertical scales.
Step 5
Duplicate the Embroidered Text smart object and call it Shadow. Move this layer below the Embroidered Text smart object.
Step 6
Now we’ll add layer styles for each of these two layers. Let’s start with the Embroidered Text smart object. Add an Inner Shadow (color#000000), Bevel and Emboss (colors#ffffffand#000000), Color Overlay (color #ffc000)and Gradient Overlay (colors #ffffffand#ffffff). You can choose any Color Overlay you like, but just make sure to also adjust the Gradient Overlay opacity if you want a darker or lighter color tone.
Step 7
To make the effect more realistic, let’s add a Filter > Distort > Ripple and a Filter > Distort > Noise effect. These two effects are added as Smart Filters so you can edit them at any time by double clicking on the Filter name.
Step 8
Go to the Shadow Layer and set the Fill to 0%. Next, add a Bevel and Emboss (colors#ffffffand#000000) layer style. The embroidered text should now look like this.
Step 9
Create a new layer just below the Shadow layer and name it Stitched Border. Keep the Control key pressed and click on the Embroidered Text layer thumbnail to make a selection. Go to Select > Modify > Expand and expand by 5 pixels.
Step 10
Go to the Paths tab and choose Make Work Path.
Step 11
Select the Brush Tool, color #ffffff, and pick the „stitch1” brush. Again from the Paths tab, choose Stroke Path. Press Delete to remove the work path.
Step 12
Add a Drop Shadow (color#000000) layer style to the Stitched Border layer. Convert this layer to a smart object.
Step 13
Finally, let’s add a layer style to the Stitched Border smart object: Drop Shadow (color #161616), Inner Shadow (color #161616), Bevel and Emboss (color #ffffff and #161616), Color Overlay (color #f5f5f5—you can choose any color you want for the stitch).
Congratulations! You’re Done!
In this tutorial you learned how to create an embroidered text effect in Adobe Photoshop. I hope you’ve enjoyed this tutorial.
