Level Up With Affinity: Professional Creative Tools for Every Classroom

Ready to explore the powerful alternative to Adobe for your classroom and creative curriculums? Affinity—now free for education—puts professional design software into the hands of students and educators.

Canopy Education’s brand-new, free 30-minute video, An Introduction to Affinity Tools for Education, walks you through the basics of Affinity Photo, Designer, and Publisher, with hands-on demos based on a real-world creative brief. It’s the perfect starting point for bringing industry-grade tools into your teaching.

Watch the free video

Upcoming Affinity training

For a fully supported approach to embedding Affinity in your classroom, visit Canopy Education to explore our expert-led, interactive workshops. We offer bespoke training options tailored to your curriculum and staff needs—helping you unlock the full potential of Affinity across visual and digital arts education.

What is Affinity—and Why Does It Belong in Your Classroom?

Imagine giving your students access to the same powerful creative tools used by professional designers, photographers, and publishers—without it costing your school a penny.

Thanks to Affinity’s new free offering for educators, that vision is now a reality.

Affinity is a suite of professional-grade creative apps made by creatives, for creatives. Whether editing photos, designing logos, or publishing a school magazine, Affinity provides everything needed to bring ambitious ideas to life. The suite includes the following tools.

Affinity Designer

For vector graphics, logos, and digital illustration.

Affinity Photo

For high-precision, professional image editing & digital painting.

Affinity Publisher

For polished layouts, perfect for magazines, posters, portfolios, and more.

Available on Windows, Mac, and a full version on iPad, Affinity’s sleek and powerful tools are now fully accessible to schools—removing cost barriers and opening new possibilities for creative teaching and learning.

In 2024, Affinity was acquired by Canva, bringing together two leaders in creative technology for education. Their joint mission? To build a smoother, faster, and more inclusive future for visual communication. This mission is already transforming classrooms across the globe.

Whether teaching creative arts, STEM, humanities, supporting cross-curricular projects, or even leading school marketing, Affinity offers a flexible, industry-relevant platform where educators and students can confidently learn, create, and showcase their ideas.

Real-World Application and Career Readiness

One of Affinity’s biggest strengths is how it prepares students for real-world opportunities. In creative industries like graphic design, publishing, and digital marketing, the skills students develop using Affinity tools are directly transferable to professional practice.

Students can engage in practical, vocational projects—like designing promotional materials for a local event, creating brand identities, book covers, or producing a school magazine. These activities simulate real-world workflows and provide meaningful, portfolio-ready outcomes that reflect genuine creative processes.

By working with the same software used by professionals, students build valuable, industry-relevant experience that gives them a head start in their creative careers.

Why Affinity Is Special

What sets Affinity apart is how effortlessly its tools work together. With its unique StudioLink technology, users can switch between vector design, image editing, and layout work—all within a single, unified environment. There’s no need to export files or switch apps, saving time and maintaining creative momentum.

Affinity’s interface strikes a rare balance: professional-grade power wrapped in an intuitive, learner-friendly design. Students can access advanced features used by professionals without being overwhelmed by complexity.

Importantly, Affinity integrates AI and machine learning in a way that enhances—rather than replaces—creativity. Features like intelligent object selection and automatic enhancements are available as optional downloads, giving educators and students the freedom to choose how and when to use AI. This thoughtful approach supports learning and creative exploration, without disrupting the process or diminishing creative control.

How Might You Use Affinity in Your Next Creative Project?

Responding to Real-World Briefs

Use Affinity to set students a creative challenge—like designing event branding, advertising campaigns, or visual assets for a school initiative. They can begin in Designer for illustrations and logos, refine imagery in Photo, and bring it all together in Publisher. This hands-on process gives them a full view of how design projects unfold from concept to delivery.

Developing Digital Literacy

Using professional software helps students become more confident, capable digital creators. Affinity’s tools offer more than basic functions—students learn to manage layered files, edit high-resolution images, and publish cohesive visual content. These are foundational, transferable skills that go far beyond the classroom.

Just as importantly, Affinity opens the door to discussions about digital ethics. Students can explore responsible content creation, copyright awareness, and the implications of digital manipulation. These conversations help build a well-rounded understanding of digital citizenship—a critical aspect of 21st Century skills.

Enhancing Cross-Curricular Projects

Affinity isn’t just for design classes. Across subjects, students can use Affinity to visualise and present their learning in more creative ways.

• In History, they could design visual timelines or historical posters.

• In Science, they might create infographics to explain systems or processes.

• English: Affinity can help students design their own creative book covers for novels or texts they are studying, allowing them to visually interpret themes, characters, and settings.

By using creative tools to explore academic content, students develop both subject knowledge and design thinking—strengthening engagement and understanding.

Showcasing Student Work

With Affinity Publisher, students can create professional-quality zines, digital portfolios, or class publications. These projects give learners a platform to take ownership of their work and present it with pride.

Whether collaborating on layout and design, or compiling individual submissions into a cohesive format, publishing student work gives it real-world value. It fosters collaboration, accountability, and motivation—especially when students know their work will be shared with a wider audience.

A Brighter Future: Creativity & Equity in Learning

In a world where digital creativity essential, Affinity equips students and educators with the tools to meet the moment. With seamless integration, real-world applications, and no financial barrier, it offers an unmatched opportunity for schools to level up their creative curriculum.

Whether preparing students for future careers, enriching the curriculum, or promoting digital literacy and ethical practice, Affinity gives every learner the chance to work smarter, dream bigger, and create with confidence.

Now freely available to schools, Affinity is more than just a suite of tools—it’s a gateway to inspiring, inclusive, and future-focused creative learning.

Explore Canopy's Affinity Training