Canva Inc., an online graphic design tool, has acquired Affinity suite, a creative software. The exact official figure of the deal has not been revealed. However, the deal is valued at “several hundred million pounds,” according to Bloomberg.
This deal will give Canva access to Affinity Designer, Photo, and Publisher. These are three platforms that are popular among Windows and Mac users. They will provide features that are similar to those in InDesign, Photoshop, and Adobe Illustrator.
Following the collaboration, Canva said in a statement, "By joining forces with Affinity, we’re excited to unlock the full spectrum of designers at every level and stage of the design journey.”
If one goes through the Affinity website, it says, “We started out in 1987 developing creative software for Windows and built up a decent suite of apps over a 20-year period. But there were problems. Apart from these legacy apps being locked into Windows, they were becoming bloated and hard to maintain, and the core foundation of them was not built with consideration of the latest developments in hardware.”
Eventually, the company started again to develop fast apps that are suited for “creative professionals using Mac, Windows, and iPad.” This acquisition by Canva is its effort to face its rival Abode, according to Bloomberg.
Several members of Affinity will join Canva, including the 90-member team of Affinity that is responsible for illustrating, photo editing, and publishing.
Affinity's applications will be used to enhance Canva's array of AI-powered tools. Canva has been giving in-depth focus to AI. The Australian platform has decided to add generative AI tools to its online platform. These Gen AI tools will help develop slides and presentations via prompts, according to Bloomberg.
