A Beginner's Guide to Grids in Affinity Designer

In the following tutorial, you will learn how to add a custom grid in Affinity Designer, how to make a grid in Affinity Designer, and how to change the grid size in Affinity Designer.

If you don't have the time to create your own grids in Affinity Designer, then Envato Elements is the solution. This subscription-based marketplace has over 2,000 Illustrator add-ons you can download without restrictions! This grid template kit is the perfect example to start from.

What You'll Learn in This Tutorial

• How to add a grid in Affinity Designer


• How to adjust the grid settings in Affinity Designer


• How to set up a perspective grid in Affinity Designer


• How to change the grid size in Affinity Designer

1. How to Add a Grid in Affinity Designer

First of all, to add a grid in Affinity Designer, you can either go to View > Show Grid or press Control-'.

To enable Snap to Grid, go to View > Snapping to check the Enable snapping box and Snap to grid. Alternatively, you can check the magnet icon from the control panel, which will enable snapping, and then click the little arrow button to open the Snapping fly-out panel, where you can enable Snap to grid.

2. How to Edit the Grid Settings in Affinity Designer

Step 1

In order to edit the grid settings in Affinity Designer, you need to go to View > Grid and Axis. By default, the grid mode is set to Automatic.

Step 2

Use the color wheels and opacity sliders to adjust the color and the level of transparency for gridlines and subdivision lines.

Step 3

Click the Basic button whenever you wish to set up a custom grid in Affinity Designer.

Step 4

Click the Advanced button and use the Gutter setting to add some space between your grid boxes.

3. How to Set Up a Perspective Grid in Affinity Designer

Step 1

Stick with the Advanced Mode, but select Isometric for the Grid type menu, and you'll get a nice perspective grid in Affinity Designer.

As long as Snap to Grid is enabled, you'll be able to create isometric designs with just a few clicks.

Step 2

Besides the main Isometric grid type, you'll find nine more perspective grid layouts.

Step 3

Switch to Cube mode whenever you wish to create your own custom perspective grid in Affinity Designer.

4. How to Use Preset Grid Settings in Affinity Designer

Step 1

Using the Preset menu, you can easily choose one of the built-in grid settings or save your own. The 32px, 8 Divisions grid preset can be pretty useful whenever you're working with icon design.

Step 2

The 64x32 Pixel Isometric grid preset is a more complex grid layout that might help you when you need to create isometric designs.

5. How to Make Your Own Grid in Affinity Designer

Step 1

Unfortunately, there's no grid tool in Affinity Designer. To make a grid, we'll use the Pen Tool (P) and select Line Mode from the context toolbar.

Remember to set up the grid as you wish, and don't forget to enable Snap to grid. For this example, we'll set the Spacing to 150 px and Divisions to 1.

Using the Pen Tool (P), create a simple vertical line. Once you're done, switch to the Move Tool (V), hold down the Alt key, and click and drag your line to add a copy. Make it snap to the grid, and then you can simply press Control-J to add as many copies as you wish.

Step 2

Select all your vertical lines, press Control-C to copy them, and then press Control-V to add copies. Make sure that the Move Tool (V) is active, hold down the Shift key to easily rotate the selected copies 90 degrees, and you've got your grid in Affinity Designer.

Step 3

To merge all the lines that make up your grid into a single shape, go to Layer > Geometry > Merge Curves.

6. How to Change the Grid Size in Affinity Designer

Step 1

Using the Move Tool (V), you can easily scale your grid as shown below. Again, the grid and Snap to Grid might come in handy if you wish to create a pixel-perfect grid.

Step 2

Alternatively, you can use the Transform studio (Window > Transform) to adjust the size of your grid.

Congratulations! You're Done

Now you know how to create grids in Affinity Designer. I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial and that you can use these techniques as you continue to create grids in Illustrator.

Remember that you can find some great sources of inspiration at Envato Elements, with interesting solutions to help you create grids in Affinity Designer and use them to make amazing designs.

Popular Assets From Envato Elements

Envato Elements is an excellent resource for grid-related designs. Here's a short list of some of the most popular grid-inspired designs that you can find.

6 Instagram Aesthetic Retro Grid (AI, EPS, PSD)

Go retro with these grid designs. Feel free to change the colors and edit the grids in Affinity Designer using just a few clicks.

Grid Icons (SVG)

Keep it simple with these sleek grid icons. Change the color and easily scale these designs without losing quality.

Geometric Seamless Vector Patterns (AI, JPG, EPS)

Any Illustrator grid can be easily used in Affinity Designer. Check out these awesome geometric patterns and see how you can make your design stand out.

Groove-Geometric Seamless Patterns (AI, EPS, JPG)

Take it to the next level with this colorful groove pattern. The design is 100% vector, so you don't have to worry if you need to make it larger.

Tables and Grids (SVG, PNG)

Here's another set of table and grid icons that can be easily used and adjusted in Affinity Designer.

Want to Learn More?

We have loads of tutorials on Envato Tuts+, from beginner to intermediate level. Take a look!

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