AnnexDesign – Getting Started (Tutorial)

A practical walkthrough ("your first hour with AnnexDesign"). Whitepaper format, PDF-ready. Screenshots will be captured according to the shot list at the end.

Goal of This Tutorial

By the end you will have built a social media post: shapes with a gradient fill and an effect, a headline using brandkit colors, an inserted QR code – with a checkpoint in versioning and exported as PNG (2x). The project is saved as .axd on your Mac.

Step 1: Get to Know the Workspace

Start AnnexDesign via AnnexHub. You see the three-column workspace: the sidebar on the left (assets, layers, approvals, history), the artboard in the center, the context-sensitive inspector on the right. The toolbar sits on top with the persona switch – stay in the "Design" persona.

Step 2: Draw Shapes

Choose "Rectangle" in the toolbar and drag a shape onto the canvas. Add an "Ellipse". With the "Select" tool you move the objects; smart guides help align them to edges and centers.

Step 3: Fill, Stroke and Effect in the Inspector

Select a shape and set fill and stroke color plus stroke width in the inspector. If needed, enable a non-destructive effect (Gaussian blur or drop shadow) and adjust opacity and blend mode.

Step 4: Apply a Gradient

Choose a linear or radial gradient as the fill. In the stop editor you add color stops, set position (0–1) and color and – for linear gradients – the angle. The gradient renders on the canvas and is written to SVG export as a real gradient definition.

Step 5: Add Text

Choose the Text tool and click on the canvas. Write your headline and format it in the inspector: font size, weight, alignment, italic, line height. The color palette contains document colors and – when linked – brandkit colors.

Step 6: Insert a QR Code

Open the header menu "Import / Load ▸ Insert QR Code...". Enter a URL or text, choose the error correction level and foreground/background color. The QR code lands on the canvas as grouped vector modules and stays fully editable.

Step 7: Organize and Group Layers

Organize the elements in the layer list: multi-select with ⌘/⇧, then group. Visibility and lock toggles help when working on individual layers. Undo mistakes with ⌘Z (Undo) and ⌘⇧Z (Redo).

Step 8: Set a Checkpoint

Open the versions panel in the sidebar and set a manual checkpoint. The snapshot is stored in the .axd container; earlier versions can be restored at any time. The history panel additionally lets you jump to any undo step.

Step 9: Place a Linked Image and Trace It

Open File ▸ Place… and choose a logo or icon image. In the dialog select Linked instead of Embedded. The image appears on the canvas and in the layers list with a link symbol. Edit the source in AnnexPhoto (double-click the layer) – when you save, AnnexDesign detects the change and offers to update the link.

Then choose Object ▸ Trace Image… and try the Logo preset. AnnexDesign produces an editable vector layer; the original image can be hidden.

Step 10: Export and Save

Open File ▸ Export…. Choose the "Web" preset, format PNG, scale 2x – the live preview shows the result including a file size estimate. Then save the project with File ▸ Save (⌘S) as .axd.

Result & Next Steps

You now have an export-ready social media post with a linked image and a traced vector layer, plus a versioned .axd project. Follow-up topics: linking brandkits and using the palette, connectors for diagrams, the pixel persona, the approval workflow for reviews. Full feature documentation: docs/manuals/en/AnnexDesign.md – the authoritative feature list: Feature list.

Shot List (for screenshot capture)