Nottingham, UK—To support the creative community during the Covid-19 pandemic, Serif gave away more than 1.5 million extended free trials of its Affinity apps. The support campaign was first staged during 2020. Serif then renewed it in January 2021 due to the continuing effects of the pandemic.
In addition to allowing anyone to use the Mac and Windows versions of Affinity Photo, Designer and Publisher free for 90 days, Serif also offered a 50% discount to buy the apps.
What’s more, the company commissioned work from 100 artists, designers, photographers and illustrators. They included many creatives who had projects canceled due to the economic fallout of Covid-19.
Serif just announced it will end the extended offers at the end of June. Subsequently, it will restore prices to normal as well as offer a shorter 10-day free trial.
Serif Extended Free Trial Campaign
“As it became apparent just how seriously the creative industries were affected by Covid-19, we felt we were in a position to help in a small way,” said Ashley Hewson, Serif’s managing director. “Allowing anyone to download our apps free for 90 days last year, then again this year, has meant people were effectively able to use Affinity free for six months.
“The response was incredible, with many users telling us how valuable the extended trial and discounts were in enabling them to continue working. The response to our offer to commission 100 pieces of work was also immense. Some of those projects are already filtering through into our apps, on the Affinity Spotlight website as well as in our marketing materials.”
Australian artist Will Schorer was among those commissioned. He had seen several projects canceled by clients due to the effects of the pandemic. Schorer, who created a design for the campaign, said: “The start of 2020 was a hard time for everyone; being a self-employed artist is stressful at the best of times.
“The Affinity 100 Days 100 Commissions project was valuable; it came at a time when we had several events canceled and our income for the immediate future was fairly uncertain. The project helped to ease some of the concern we were feeling at the time; it also allowed me to alleviate some of that anxiety through creativity.”
Furthermore, U.S. author Sarah Stackhouse started learning Affinity Designer during the pandemic. She has now created the illustrations for her first children’s book, Opening Our Eyes to the World. “I was only able to accomplish what I did because of Affinity, and I want to shout that from the rooftops,” added Stackhouse.
Serif is now giving buyers until the end of June to purchase Affinity apps with a 50% discount. The discount applies to Mac, Windows PC and iPad apps.
