I’m Kayla. I design on a 14-inch MacBook Pro (M2) running Sonoma, with a 27-inch LG display. I keep a basic Wacom tablet on my desk and a pile of sticky notes. I work fast, and I print a lot. That matters here.
You know what? I’ve tried a bunch of apps on Mac. (I even broke down my current toolkit in detail on the blog.) Some are fast and friendly. Some are heavy, but powerful. I’ll tell you what I used them for, what worked, and what made me sigh.
My quick setup (because it shapes everything)
- MacBook Pro (M2), 16 GB RAM
- macOS Sonoma
- External LG monitor (27-inch)
- Wacom Intuos S for tracing and masks
- AirDrop for moving photos from my phone
- A color printer that never behaves
Now the apps.
Before I dive in, I’ll mention that when I need premade vectors—think florals for wedding invites—I pop over to Moon and Back Graphics; their files slot into Illustrator, Affinity, or Canva with zero fuss.
Adobe Illustrator: My logo and print workhorse
I made a logo for a local coffee cart called Bean Beacon. I sketched the lighthouse by hand, then traced it in Illustrator with the Pen Tool. I used Pathfinder to merge shapes, then tweaked kerning (the space between letters) so the name didn’t feel crowded. I sent the final as an SVG for their Cricut cutter and a CMYK PDF with 0.125-inch bleeds for stickers. The print came out clean. Sharp edges. No weird halos.
When I design menus or packaging, I still build in Illustrator. I like the Guides, the Align panel, and the way it handles spot colors. The Image Trace tool helped me turn a doodle into a vector in under a minute. Not perfect, but close enough, and I fixed the rough bits with Smooth.
The downside? It’s big. On a long day with many artboards, my fans spin. The subscription adds up too. But many print shops still ask for .ai or PDF from Illustrator, and honestly, it saves time. So I keep it.
Affinity Designer 2: Fast, clean, and a one-time buy
I made a farmers market poster in Affinity Designer last fall (I’m on Affinity Designer 2 these days, and it feels even snappier.). Big peaches, bold type, and a curved title. I used the Text on a Path tool for the curve and the Assets panel to reuse small icons. The Persona switch (Designer/Pixel) let me add a quick texture without leaving the app. It felt snappy on the M2, even with big images.
I exported a PDF/X-4 with crop marks, and the printer liked it. Colors matched well since I set the profile to CMYK early. Pro tip: expand strokes before you send it, just in case.
One catch: some clients still send .ai files and want them back the same way. It sometimes makes me nostalgic for the days of older CS versions—I went back to that vintage software and wrote about how it felt. Affinity opens most things fine, but not every live effect stays live. I work around it with SVG or PDF. For my own work, I’m happy with it. It’s fast. It’s tidy.
Adobe Photoshop: Product photos and mockups
For a small Etsy shop, I shot candles on a white board by my window. In Photoshop, I used Select Subject to grab the candle, then the Refine Edge brush around the wick and glass. I placed the jar into a label mockup as a Smart Object. I ran a very light Camera Raw filter to even out the warmth. Batch export made 12 web-ready JPGs in one go.
It handles tricky stuff, like dust on a bottle, with the Spot Healing Brush. The newer Remove tool cleaned a stray string on a sweater shot in one stroke. I still build layered PSD mockups for clients who want color swaps. It’s heavy, yes. It eats RAM, yes. But for pixel work, masks, and retouching, it’s still the thing.
Pixelmator Pro: Quick edits that look good
Pixelmator Pro is my “I have 10 minutes” app. The ML Enhance tool brightens photos without that crunchy look. I used it to clean a dark photo of maple donuts for a bakery post. Then I used Remove Background and Export for Web to get a clean PNG for Instagram Stories. Done.
It feels very Mac. It saves fast. It also plays nice with Apple’s Shortcuts. I set a shortcut to auto-resize three social sizes from one file. It’s not a full print tool, but for posters, flyers, and online images, it’s solid. And it’s affordable.
Sketch: UI work and tidy vectors
When I helped a friend mock up a simple recipe app, I used Sketch. I made a small design system with Symbols, and exported iOS assets at 1x, 2x, and 3x. It kept everything neat. I also used it to build an app icon set and a clean one-page pitch with grids and text styles.
Would I make a print poster in Sketch? Not really. It’s made for screens. But for design that needs strict spacing and repeat parts, it’s smooth. And it feels faster than most big tools.
Figma (desktop on Mac): Team work in real time
For a nonprofit site refresh, we used Figma with the Mac app. I set up Auto Layout for cards, used Components, and invited their team to comment. We moved things around during a Zoom call, and they saw changes live. That saved us rounds of email.
When I needed a fast social badge, I still reached for other tools. Figma shines for UI, style guides, and shared work. For print, I export SVG or PDF and finish in Illustrator or Affinity.
Side note: every now and then I design marketing assets for brands that operate in more adult niches. When I was exploring bold, conversion-driven landing-page patterns, I spent a few minutes studying this free hookup portal—it’s packed with uncluttered sections, high-contrast buttons, and straight-to-the-point copy that can spark ideas for any high-impact page you’re tackling. Another quick reference: when I wanted to see how community-driven adult events position their calls-to-action, I browsed the local scene at this Pomona swingers page—its event-centric layout, candid imagery, and streamlined sign-up flow are a useful study in turning curiosity into confident conversions.
Linearity Curve (formerly Vectornator): Tracing and hand-drawn flair
I traced a hand-drawn map for a wedding program with Linearity Curve. I used Auto Trace on the scan, then cleaned anchors with the Node Tool. I like drawing on my iPad with Apple Pencil, then finishing on my Mac. The app makes that hand-made line feel natural.
It’s fun and friendly. But with many artboards and lots of tiny details, I’ve had slowdowns. So I keep complex jobs in Illustrator or Affinity.
Canva (Mac app): Fast flyers for folks who don’t design
For a PTA bingo night, I built the flyer in Canva in 15 minutes. I used their grid, dropped in school colors, and exported a PNG for email. The resize tool helped me make a square version for Facebook.
For real print work though, color can shift. Canva stays in RGB, so the poster looked a bit dull when the office printer got it. If it’s for social or a quick community event, it’s great. If it’s a paid print job, I choose Illustrator or Affinity.
How I mix them in real life
- Sketch on paper or iPad.
- Vector build in Illustrator or Affinity Designer.
- Photo clean-up in Photoshop or Pixelmator Pro.
- Layout check, bleeds set, export PDF with crops.
- For teams, wireframe in Figma, then finish in print-friendly software.
Small note: I name files like 2025-03_beacon_menu_v05_print.pdf. Future me thanks me.
Little things that saved me
- Set color early. If it’s going to print, pick CMYK at the start.
- Add bleeds. I use 0.125 inches. It stops weird white edges.
- Outline fonts for print. Or package files with fonts.
- Keep a “links” folder for images. Don’t break paths.
- Test print on a cheap printer before you pay the big shop.
If you want more bite-size wisdom from around the web, I gathered the best graphic design blog posts I keep going back to—they’ve saved me on many tight deadlines.
So, which one should you use?
You hate subscriptions and want pro vector: Affinity Designer 2.
You need industry-standard print and shop files: Adobe Illustrator.