Serif is to launch a series of professional design software exclusively for Mac users, with its first products planned for release in the coming twelve months.

Affinity Designer, the first in the new range of applications, combines vector art with flexible layer management, and is positioned as an alternative to Adobe Illustrator. It incorporates multiple rasterising tools and makes use of OSX technologies, including Core Graphics and Open GL. The application is currently open for beta users.

The other software planned for release as part of the Affinity series is Photo and Publisher, platforms for digital photo editing and desk-top publishing respectively, which the company claims will offer 'a fluid editing experience' and 'designer-led finesse'.

Designer is set to launch in October and will be available from the Mac App store, retailing at ?34.99, while Publisher is due for 2015.