How to create a lettering design in Affinity Designer

In this tutorial, you’ll discover how to create a dynamic, galaxy-inspired hand lettering poster using Affinity Designer. Drawing inspiration from Dr. Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, we’ll focus on bringing her famous words to life: 

“The stars don’t look bigger, but they do look brighter”

You’ll be guided step by step, from the sketch to a stunning piece of digital art, using Affinity Designer’s powerful features to create a cool lettering design. Whether you’re a beginner or looking to enhance your skills, this lettering tutorial will help you discover some useful tips and tricks.

Get your tablet ready and dive into this creative adventure!

Feel free to use the sketch I’ve created for this tutorial by right-clicking and selecting Save Image As… to save it.

Step 3

Once you’re happy with your sketch, scan it or save it as an image file and drag and drop to import it into Affinity Designer. Note that Affinity Designer provides you with a short cheat sheet at the bottom of the screen for every tool you select. I love this feature as it makes it so easy to understand how to use new tools and their corresponding hotkeys.

Step 4

To make tracing easier, lower the Opacity of the imported sketch to 25% and Lock the sketch layer.

Step 5

To get a better view of your entire artwork, go to View > New View.

Step 6

The New View window will appear, allowing you to see the whole artwork at once. You can keep this window open on your second screen to see a zoomed-out version of your poster while working on particular areas of the lettering design.

Step 1

Select the Pen Tool (P) from the toolbar and start tracing the first letter of “Bigger”. Set the Stroke color to black and its Width to 0.5 pt in the control panel on top. Click to create anchor points along the edges of your letter, and drag to adjust the curve handles for smooth, precise lines. Remember to consult the tool cheat sheet at the bottom of the screen.

If you want to become more proficient with the Affinity Designer Pen Tool, check out our comprehensive tutorial that covers everything you need to know about this powerful tool!

Step 2

Continue using the Pen Tool (P) to trace the letter “B”. Zoom in (Control-Mouse Wheel) for greater accuracy when working on detailed areas. Follow the contours of the sketch closely. You can create separate shapes for each part of the letter, making them easier to edit individually.

To manipulate the handles, switch to the Node Tool (A) by holding down the Control key. Use Backspace to remove unnecessary nodes.

Step 3

Here you can see how I’ve divided the letter “B” into two sections to make tracing easier. Keep playing with the Affinity Designer Node Tool (A) to adjust the position of the nodes and their handles for a smoother look. The fewer nodes you have, the better.

Step 4

If your letter “B” has multiple parts, use the Boolean Operations panel on top to merge them into a single shape. Select the relevant parts of the “B”, and then click the Add button in the Boolean panel.

Step 5

While the Pen Tool is great for precise tracing and designing, we’ll switch to the Pencil Tool (N) for more fluid, organic lines to add character to our lettering. Set the Stroke color to black and the Width to 0.5 pt. When using the Pencil Tool (N) in Affinity Designer, you don’t have to trace the entire letter in one stroke. For challenging elements, activate the Sculpt option in the top control panel. This allows you to start the line and pause at any point. While your line is selected, you can continue from there, and the line will connect automatically.

You can also enable the Stabilizer function for smoother strokes. Adjust its strength by changing the Length value to your liking. Draw the letter “I”, following your sketch.

Step 6

Use the Ellipse Tool (M) to create the dot above the letter “I”. Then, Convert it to Curves by clicking the button in the control panel on top, and use the Node Tool (A) to shape it more organically. Think of it as molding a tiny planet to top off your “I”. This small touch can make a world of difference to your lettering!

Step 7

Take a step back and look at the letter you’ve created. Having too many anchor points can make the letter look too noisy and rough. Let’s tidy it up!

Select your letter and click the Smooth curve Action in the control panel on top. It will make the shape smoother and more flowing. But be careful: this tool might alter your letter’s silhouette a bit. After smoothing, make sure to adjust it so it still fits your original concept.

Step 8

Next, let’s tackle the letter “G”. Choose your preferred tool and start tracing, using your sketch as a guide. Once you’re satisfied with the result, it’s time for some fine-tuning. Select the letter with the Node Tool (A), and look for any sharp corners.

Switch to the Corner Tool (C) and drag those sharp corners, giving the letter “G” a smoother, more polished look.

Step 9

Keep going until you’ve finished all the letters in “Bigger”. Once they’re all traced, it’s time to apply placeholder colors to each letter to see which ones are overlapping and in what order.

As for the outline, open up the Stroke panel and set it to Round Cap, Round Join, and Align Stroke to Outside. These settings will give your letters a smooth, continuous outline. Don’t worry too much about the Width right now—we’ll fine-tune that as we progress through our design journey.

Remember, in the vast universe of design, organization is key. These steps might seem small, but they’ll save you light-years of time as you continue to develop your cosmic poster!

Step 10

Now, let’s add some celestial flair to our design. We’re going to create flying splashes around the letters of “Bigger”. Select the Vector Brush Tool (B) from the Affinity Designer toolkit. This tool is perfect for creating dynamic, energetic strokes that will bring movement and life to your design. Draw short, lively strokes around the letters.

The Vector Brush Tool in Affinity Designer creates paths with outlines, but allows for more freehand drawing. Before you start, take a moment to adjust the settings in the control panel at the top. The Stabilizer is your steady-hand assistant—it smooths out your strokes, making them less jittery. Experiment with different Width settings to vary the thickness of your splashes.

Once you’ve created a splash you’re happy with, go to Layer > Expand Stroke. This converts your brush stroke into editable curves, allowing you to fine-tune with the Node Tool (A) if needed.

Step 11

Keep adding splashes to each letter, refining the word “Bigger” as you go. Use the Node Tool (A) to adjust anchor points and handles, ensuring each letter and splash is smooth and cohesive.

Here’s a pro tip to keep your design consistent: use the Style Picker Tool (I). You’ll find it in the same drop-down menu as the Color Picker Tool in Affinity Designer. This nifty tool allows you to sample the stroke, fill, and other settings from one letter and apply them to its corresponding splash.

Remember, after picking a style from one letter and applying it to a splash, you need to deselect the Style Picker Tool. Otherwise, it’ll keep applying the effect you first picked. Watch the cursor icon—it flips from right to left to show whether the tool is loaded or not.

3. How to draw letters using the Vector Brush Tool in Affinity Designer

Step 1

We’re moving on to the word “Brighter”, and we’re going to create this in a more elegant, handwritten style. It’s like switching from printing to cursive.

Let’s continue using the Affinity Designer Vector Brush Tool (B) to trace the letter “B”. This tool is perfect for creating expressive strokes, making it ideal for this part of the design. Adjust the thickness of your stroke in the Vector Brush options in the control panel on top by setting it to about the same Width as we did for the splashes.

As you work, keep using the Node Tool (A) to smooth out any rough places, and remember to get rid of the unneeded nodes.

Step 2

Now that you’ve crafted an elegant “B”, it’s time to make it whole. Go to Layer > Expand Stroke to transform your brush strokes into solid shapes. Then, use the Add Boolean operation in the top control panel to merge all the pieces together.

Step 3

Let’s keep our cosmic calligraphy flowing with the next letter, “R”. Use the Vector Brush Tool (Shift-B) to trace it, following the curves of your sketch. As you work, try to maintain a consistent stroke width and style for all the letters. Start with the stem of the “R”, and then add the bowl (the rounded part), and finish with a smooth exit stroke. Notice how the curvature of the stem arcs to echo the curve of the “B”. This mirroring creates a pleasing rhythm in your lettering.

Step 4

Keep that cool lettering design rhythm going as you trace the remaining letters with the Vector Brush Tool (Shift-B). As you approach the letters “T” and “R”, you’ll notice they’re connected, creating a kind of infinity symbol. Let’s tackle this cosmic conjunction in our next step!

Step 5

Start by tracing the letter “T” using the Vector Brush Tool (Shift-B) until you reach the loop where both letters intersect. Stop at this point and move to the letter “R”. It’s all about creating a smooth flow.

Step 6

As you complete the loop of the letter “R”, bring it back to where both ends meet, returning to its starting point. Use the Node Tool (A) to make the nodes align to create a seamless connection.

Once you’re satisfied with your cosmic calligraphy, it’s time for the final fusion. Go to Layer > Expand Stroke, and then use the Add Boolean operation to merge the letters into a single, unified shape.

Step 1

For our next cosmic phrase, “Stars don’t look”, we have two paths to explore in our lettering design journey. We can either create a custom lettering style using our own handwriting, or we can choose an existing font that complements our design.

If you’re leaning towards using a font, head to Envato and explore their vast gallery of script and handwritten fonts. Browse to find a font that aligns with your vision and use it as a launchpad for your lettering or as the final design element.

Here are a few suggestions that could match our cool lettering design theme:

Want to discover more fonts in a similar orbit? Just type “Comic Fonts” in the search bar and watch a whole new typography universe unfold!

Step 2

Let’s move on to the next part of the text. Select the Affinity Designer Artistic Text Tool (T) and type: “Stars don’t look”. With your text selected, look for the Warp Group icon in the Layers panel and apply Arc – Horizontal to give your text a gentle curve. You can fine-tune the Warp effect in the control panel once you’ve applied it. Set the Value to about 20% to create a subtle arc in your text. This effect adds a dynamic, flowing touch to your typography.

Once you’re happy with the result, click Convert to Curves in the control panel at the top to transform your text into editable shapes.

Step 3

Continue with the Artistic Text Tool (T) in Affinity Designer to type out: “But they do look”. We’re going to give this phrase a special cosmic wave effect.

To achieve this, we’ll use the Mesh Warp Group. Apply it and use the Node Tool (A) to move the handles, adjusting the shape of the wave. Play around with it until you achieve a flow that matches your sketch and complements the rest of your design. Remember, we’re aiming for a harmonious balance in our cosmic composition.

Step 4

If you want to add an extra touch of handcrafted charm to your design, here’s an alternative approach. We can trace the letters of the sketch manually, just like we did for the word “Brighter”.

Select the Vector Brush Tool (Shift-B) and start tracing over the elements of your lettering, using your initial sketch as a guide. This method allows for more organic, fluid lines that can really make your lettering pop off the page.

Step 5

With all your text elements in place, it’s time to add placeholder colors to our lettering elements. By color-coding your elements, you’ll easily be able to see how they interact with each other. This step helps us keep the composition organized and visually balanced.

5. How to create the background elements

Step 1

Now, it’s time to paint the night sky on our digital canvas by creating a dark background. Start by selecting the Rectangle Tool (M) and drawing a shape that covers your entire artboard (1080 × 1350 px).

With your rectangle selected, click on the Affinity Designer Gradient Tool (G) and navigate to the control panel at the top to adjust the settings. Set the gradient type to Elliptical. Click the color box to open the color settings menu and create a transition from a deep violet (R:30, G:10, B:60) at the edges to a lighter violet (R:100, G:15, B:120) in the center. This gradient will create an illusion of depth in our cosmic background.

Step 2

Now that we’ve set our galactic stage, it’s time to add some twinkling stars to our night sky.

Select the Pen Tool (P) and click to place anchor points, forming a basic star shape. Close the shape by clicking back on the first anchor point, and fill the shape with white. This star will be one of the repeating elements in our galactic theme, adding a sprinkle of stardust to our design.

While we could use the Star Tool (located in the same drop-down menu as the Rounded Rectangle Tool (M)), for this design, we’re aiming for a more stylized, cartoony look. This is easier to achieve by drawing it by hand and then fine-tuning with the Node Tool (A).

Step 3

With the star shape selected, it’s time to add a bright, glowing aura. Open the Quick FX panel (Window > Quick FX) and check the Outer Glow box to activate the effect. In the drop-down menu, set the color to bright pink, the Opacity to 60%, and the Radius to 20 px. This effect will make the star stand out vividly against our deep space background, adding to the celestial theme of our poster.

Step 4

Time to add some cosmic movement to our design! Let’s create a star trail that will make it look as if our star is zooming across the galaxy.

Select the Pen Tool (P) and draw a smooth, stylized path behind the star. Think of it as tracing the path of a shooting star. Fill it with bright magenta (R:250, G:75, B:180).

Once the trail is in place, apply the Warp Group effect from the Layers panel and set it to Arc – Horizontal. Adjust the Value to 25%, gently bending the shape to give it a dynamic, flowing appearance. Don’t forget to Convert to Curves once you’re happy with the shape.

Step 5

Let’s add some more detail to our cosmic trail. Using the Pen Tool (P), add some thinner strokes along the trail. Apply a light-pink Stroke color (R:30, G:10, B:60) to these new lines. Head over to the Stroke panel (Window > Stroke) and set the Width to 1.5 pt and the Cap to Round Cap. This will give our additional details a softer, more ethereal look.

Step 6

Let’s populate our celestial scene with more twinkling stars! First, select both the star and its trail using the Move Tool (V), and then group them with Control-G (Command-G on Mac).

Duplicate (Control-J or Command-J) the star group. Click the Flip Horizontal button in the top control panel to mirror the copy. Repeat this process, but this time use the Flip Vertical option for some variety. To add even more dynamism, experiment with the Rotate Clockwise and Rotate Counter-clockwise functions from the same panel.

Use the Node Tool (A) to edit the shape of the star trail above the letter “T” to turn it into a gentle wave, giving it a more whimsical feel. For a touch of variety, play with the colors of some trails. Try a lighter pink (R:250, G:180, B:230), and don’t forget to adjust the stroke color to white.

By varying the color, size, and placement of these mirrored stars, we’re creating a more vibrant and layered composition that really emphasizes our poster’s galactic theme.

Step 7

Time to add some constellations to our cosmic canvas! Grab the Pen Tool (P) and create a zig-zag line with a pink stroke of about 3.5 pt.

Next, let’s add some starry points to our constellation. Use the Ellipse Tool (M) and hold down Shift to create circles at each point of the zig-zag. To make these constellation stars shine, we’ll borrow the glow from our existing stars. Use the Style Picker Tool to sample the style settings from one of the glowing stars we created earlier.

Step 8

Next, we’ll add a sharp, dynamic touch to our scene with a four-pointed star. We’ll use the Pen Tool (P) to give it a hand-drawn, organic feel. Start by creating four anchor points in a diamond or rhombus shape—this will form the outline of our star. Then switch to the Node Tool (A) to adjust the position of the anchor handles by moving them closer together and towards the center of the shape. This will help ensure your star is symmetrical and balanced.

Fill your newly created star with a bright blue color (R:150, G:230, B:250). This simple geometric star will add a nice contrast to our softer, more rounded elements.

Step 9

Let’s use the elements we’ve already created to sprinkle some stardust around the central part of our composition! 

Duplicate (Control-J or Command-J) the stars and sparks we’ve made. Remember to vary the size, position, and color of each element to create a dynamic and lively design. For tiny stars, the Ellipse Tool (M) is perfect. Create small circles and use the Style Picker Tool to maintain consistent colors and appearances across all your stellar elements.

Step 10

It’s time to make the word “Brighter” truly shine!

Select the Style Picker Tool and click on one of the glowing stars to sample its style and apply it to the word “Brighter”, making it the key element of our lettering design. This will give the word a luminous appearance that matches our star elements, creating a cohesive look across the entire design.

6. How to create a galactic gradient in Affinity Designer

Step 1

Let’s bring the cosmos to life in our “Bigger” text by replacing those placeholder colors with a vibrant galactic gradient!

Start by selecting the Affinity Designer Gradient Tool (G) and navigating to the Gradient panel at the top. Set the Type to Linear and click on the color rectangle to open the Gradient color settings menu. We’re going to create a three-color gradient, so add a new stop in the center of the Gradient Slider by clicking it.

Now, let’s choose some vibrant galactic colors for each stop:

• left stop: bright cyan (R:30, G:240, B:250)
• middle stop: violet (R:150, G:50, B:250)
• right stop: vivid magenta (R:250, G:70, B:240)

To preview our galactic gradient, let’s create a simple shape using the Rectangle Tool (M) and apply it. This will give us a good idea of how our cosmic colors blend together.

Step 2

Now that we have our stellar gradient, let’s apply it to our “Bigger” text. First, select each letter of the word “Bigger” using the Move Tool (V). Group them by pressing Control-G (Command-G on Mac).

With the group selected, open the Swatches panel and apply the gradient we just created. You can also use the Style Picker Tool to pick the gradient from the rectangle that we made in the previous step.

For more precise control over the gradient’s direction, select the Gradient Tool (G). Click and drag from the top to the bottom of the word to apply the gradient consistently across all the letters. This technique gives the entire word a cohesive, colorful appearance that really pops in our design.

Step 3

Let’s add a simple texture to our “Bigger” lettering to give it a subtle, cosmic feel. Use the Ellipse Tool (M) to draw circles and arrange them into a pattern over each letter. Once you’re happy with the arrangement, select the pattern and Group it (Control-G or Command-G on Mac).

Apply a violet color (R:150, G:50, B:250) to the circles and set the Opacity to 20%. Change the Blend Mode to Multiply at the top of the Layers panel. This will darken the pattern slightly while allowing the gradient beneath to show through, creating a layered, three-dimensional effect.

To make our letters stand out more, let’s thicken their outlines. Set the Stroke Width to 3 pt and Align Stroke to Outside. This will help separate the letters from each other and add more definition to our text.

Step 4

Time to make our “Bigger” text really pop off the background with a drop shadow effect! Start by Duplicating the word group. With the bottom copy selected, move it down slightly using the arrow keys while holding down the Shift key.

Now, let’s style our shadow. Apply a purple color (R:210, G:70, B:230) to the shadow and set the Opacity to 75%. Switch the Blend Mode to Multiply. This shadow effect will give our text more depth and dimension, making it stand out even more against our cosmic background.

Step 5

Let’s balance our composition by adding more space elements to the background.

Start by duplicating some of the stars we’ve made before, but this time, make them much bigger. Add some circles using the Ellipse Tool (M) and fill these new elements with dark purple (R:50, G:0, B:50). Once all your new shapes are in place, group them (Control-G or Command-G).

Now, let’s position these new elements. In the Layers panel, drag the stars group to the very bottom of the layer stack, just above the background shape. This positioning will help the elements blend naturally with the background, adding subtle details without overshadowing the main elements of our design.

Step 6

To give our new background elements an ethereal glow, change the Blend Mode to Screen at the top of the Layers panel. This will lighten the elements, allowing them to interact softly with the background. Next, let’s add a glow effect. Then, apply an Outer Glow effect from the Quick FX panel. Adjust the settings by setting the color to dark purple, Opacity to 25%, and Radius to 35 px to create a soft, luminous glow around the stars and circles.

That’s how to create a galaxy-themed hand-lettering poster in Affinity Designer

We’re at the finish line! Take a moment to review your work by zooming out and making any final adjustments. For example, I’ve added smaller white sparkles to the word “Brighter” to make it shine even more. Once you’re satisfied, save your work and export the final design.

Congratulations! You’ve successfully completed your galaxy-themed hand-lettering poster in Affinity Designer. Throughout this tutorial, we’ve combined hand-drawn elements with digital techniques to create a fun galactic lettering design. We’ve covered everything from basic shape creation to more advanced gradient and effect applications. Whether you’re planning to print and display your poster or share it online, you’ve created a piece that showcases your creativity and newfound skills in vector art.

Keep experimenting with different styles and effects in Affinity Designer, and continue to refine your techniques. The possibilities are endless, and every new project is an opportunity to grow as a designer!

Want to learn more about how to create hand lettering designs and explore other tools and functions of Affinity Designer? Check out some more tutorials in the Hand Lettering and Affinity Designer series below.