With all of the customizations offered in Affinity Designer, there are so many ways to personalize your graphic designs. Creating your own fonts is a great way to do this. Instead of learning the process of doing so, however, an easy option is to convert your text to curves. This allows you to alter your text in any way you choose. So, how do you convert text to curves in Affinity Designer?

Continue reading to learn how to convert text to curves in Affinity Designer. Being able to edit individual letters within your text is ideal for maximum customization. Converting your text to curves allows you to move points on individual letters of text to stretch, expand, and curve your designs. See below for how to convert text to curves easily while also learning the different edit options available.

» MORE: How To Expand Text In Affinity Designer

1. Select Your Text

Before converting your text to curves, you must first have your text ready on Affinity Designer. If you do not, type the text in a text box on your page or on top of whatever design is already present. Select the text box by clicking in the area where the text is typed. This will highlight the text with a surrounding blue box marking coordinated dots around the perimeter.

Many people resize their text on Affinity Designer by dragging the dots that pop up when the text is selected. However, by converting your text to curves, you can do much more than expansion or reduction. When you convert text to curves, you have the potential to customize your text to the highest extent.

2. Right Click

Once you have ensured that the text you wish to convert to curves has been selected, right-click inside the text box. This will result in a dropdown that offers a wide variety of edits for the selected text. It is also worth mentioning that during this entire process, your Layers box should be open and readily available.

Be careful not to get confused with the many edit options that appear in the dropdown. You will find everything you need under to Convert to Curves tab, as you will learn more about below.

3. Convert To Curves

In the dropdown box, scroll towards the bottom and select Convert to Curves. Once you click Convert to Curves, your text will have been converted. However, nothing will seem to be changed. This is because you have to take other measures to make edits to your text that has been converted to curves.

When you convert text to curves, what essentially happens is that the text is no longer technically text. It converts to vector art which can be individually edited separately from other pieces of the same text. Therefore, while you can make external edits to the entire block of text, you can select individual letters to customize, as you will learn more about below.

4. Expand Layers Box

With your Layers box available on the screen, drag it towards your curved text so that it is easier to make quick edits and changes while you transform your text. As mentioned, the conversion will appear to have happened until you make further edits. For example, click the text button for edits in the Layers box. When you do this, it will separate into individual options for each character within the text.

So, you can edit individual letters within a word. Even if your text has more than one word, clicking the text button to edit will result in each letter having its own edit options. If you click one of the letters, the same dotted box that appears around the circumference of a typical, selected text box will surround the letter you have selected. Once you have done this, you can begin your edits.

5. Begin Edits

Choose the letter that you wish to edit. You can move it around however you would like to create a contrast between the other letters. This is a unique way to add your own flair to an otherwise simple block of text. You can also expand or reduce the size of individual letters to create more contrast.

Perhaps the biggest reason a graphic designer may convert their text to curves on Affinity Designer is to literally curve their text. Select the letter you wish to edit. On the left panel of Affinity Designer, find and click Nodes. This will surround the letter in several dots that can each be dragged, twisted, and expanded in different directions.

With this type of edit, you can create the most unique text possible. Converting your text to curves gives you the potential to brand your design, create new shapes out of letters, and personalize your work with your own style.

You can also select a letter, right-click, and go to geometry. This gives you even more edit options to customize your text.

» MORE: How to Cut a Path in Affinity Designer

Why Should You Convert Text To Curves?

As a graphic designer, you might be curious as to why you should convert your text to curves. Well, as mentioned, converting your text to curves turns it into vector art. Vector art offers many more options for customization than basic resizing and font-changing that you can do with the click of a button or two on Affinity Designer. 

While these functions are useful for basic edits, converting text to curves gives you the opportunity to dig much deeper into the vision for your design and create specific changes that help you meet your goals.

» MORE: How to Break Curves in Affinity Designer

Alternatives

Whether you use it exclusively for your graphic design endeavors or want to try out certain features for a change, check out Placeit as a graphic design alternative to Affinity Designer. With thousands of free logos, designs, templates, and mockups, you can get started with Placeit’s free, online software and have new, unique designs in no time.

Takeaway

Converting text into curves is as simple as many other features on Affinity Design. There are more simple ways to expand your text or move it around, but when you convert text to curves, you have several more edit options that can help you personalize your graphic design piece.