Design a Dissertation System in Affinity

Create a reusable Affinity layout system for a polished dissertation.

Introduction

30 Second Summary

A dissertation can contain years of careful research yet still feel difficult to read when every page follows a different visual rule. Small formatting decisions multiply quickly across a long document.

In this project, you will build a reusable six-page dissertation foundation in Affinity Layout Studio before importing your finished manuscript. A coordinated design system will keep every spread consistent.

What You'll Build

Your finished foundation opens on a clean title page followed by facing pages with clear text hierarchy, aligned text frames, running headers, plus automatic page numbers.

By the end of this project, you'll have:

A reusable foundation file named Dissertation Design System.af that opens into a six-page practice report you can show or build on.
A shared typography system that updates every title, heading, body passage, quotation, caption, or emphasis mark through named paragraph styles plus character styles.
A consistent page system that aligns future content to two-column guides plus a baseline grid. A Smart Master Page controls repeated page elements from one source.
Secret Mission: Create a chapter-opening master with extra whitespace plus stronger hierarchy while preserving the shared design system.

Are there any prerequisites?

You need a Mac with Affinity activated through your Canva account.

You also need internet access to download IBM Plex Serif plus IBM Plex Sans from Google Fonts for installation in Font Book.

Before We Start

A clear visual direction gives every later design choice a purpose. Before the hands-on work begins, decide what impression your dissertation should create and why that impression suits your research.

Prepare Your Workspace and Type Kit

Your dissertation already has a visual direction. The design work now needs a workspace that keeps page structure within reach.

A focused Affinity workspace removes tool friction. Layout Studio gives you the page-layout tools needed for the rest of the project.

In this step, get ready to:

Enter Layout Studio with your existing Canva account.
Install both IBM Plex font families through Font Book.
Verify the complete workspace in a temporary scratch document.

Enter Layout Studio

Layout Studio keeps document structure beside your typography controls. A quick map of the workspace prevents interruptions once you begin designing pages.

Signing in uses the Canva account you already have. This scratch setup does not touch your finished dissertation content.

Press Cmd+Space to open Spotlight on your Mac.
Type Affinity into the search bar.
Press Enter to launch Affinity.
Follow Affinity's sign-in prompt with your existing Canva account.
Select Layout Studio from the workspace selector.

That first hurdle is cleared: Layout Studio is open under your Canva account.

Locate the document canvas in the centre of the workspace.
Locate the tools along the left edge of the workspace.
Locate the context controls above the canvas.
Look through the panel area until you find Pages.
Look through the panel area until you find Text Styles.
Look through the panel area until you find Character.
Look through the panel area until you find Paragraph.
Use Affinity's panel controls to reveal any missing panel.

What does each panel control?

The Pages panel holds the document's page structure.
The Text Styles panel stores reusable styles.
The Character panel controls the appearance of selected text.
The Paragraph panel controls spacing within paragraphs.

You now know where page structure and type controls live inside Layout Studio.

Install the course font pair

The IBM Plex family includes coordinated Serif and Sans designs. Their shared visual language gives your dissertation a consistent editorial voice.

Google Fonts provides both families for free. Font Book makes the downloaded fonts available to Affinity.

Open the official IBM Plex Serif page.
Download the IBM Plex Serif family through the page's font-family download control.

Your browser should show the IBM Plex Serif download in its downloads list.

Open the official IBM Plex Sans page.
Download the IBM Plex Sans family through the page's font-family download control.

Your browser's downloads list should now contain both IBM Plex font-family downloads.

Why does this pair work?

IBM Plex Serif supports extended reading. IBM Plex Sans gives navigation text and headings a clear contrast.

Because the two designs belong to one family, the contrast feels deliberate across a long report.

Font archives can look fiddly because each family contains several files. Finder gives you one place to work through them.

Switch to Finder.
Open your Mac's downloads folder.

You should see one downloaded archive for each IBM Plex family.

Expand each downloaded archive if it is still compressed.

You should now see font files inside each family folder.

Double-click one downloaded font file in Finder.
Click Install in the Font Book dialog.

Font Book should add that font to its local collection.

Repeat the same installation workflow for every remaining font file in both downloaded families.
Switch to Font Book.
Search for IBM Plex Serif using the search field.
Confirm that the family appears in the font list.
Search for IBM Plex Sans using the search field.
Confirm that the family appears in the font list.

Your type kit is installed: Font Book can now find both IBM Plex families.

Fonts missing from Font Book?

Check that the downloaded files use the supported .ttf or .otf format.
Reopen any font file whose installation dialog was closed before you clicked Install.
Download the missing family again from its official Google Fonts page if only one family appears.

Help me diagnose why an IBM Plex font family is missing from Font Book.

Confirm the workspace

A scratch document gives you a safe place to test the type kit. It proves that Affinity can read both installed families before you build the dissertation shell.

Switch back to Affinity.
Start a temporary document with Affinity's new-document command.

You should see the document setup screen.

Accept the default document settings.

You should see a blank page on the Layout Studio canvas.

Select the text-frame tool from the left toolbar.
Drag a small text frame onto the blank page.

The page should now contain an empty frame with a text cursor.

Type Serif type check into the frame.

The first test line should appear inside the frame.

Press Return to create a second line.
Type Sans type check on the second line.

Keep this file temporary

This document only checks your tools. The six-page dissertation shell begins in the next step.

Confirm that the Pages panel is visible.
Confirm that the Text Styles panel is visible.
Confirm that the Character panel is visible.
Confirm that the Paragraph panel is visible.

Before the final check, make a mental prediction about whether both freshly installed family names will appear immediately.

Select the first test line.
Choose IBM Plex Serif from Affinity's font-family list.

The first line should change to IBM Plex Serif.

Select the second test line.
Choose IBM Plex Sans from Affinity's font-family list.

You should now see a serif first line and a sans-serif second line. The Pages, Text Styles, Character, and Paragraph panels should remain available around the canvas.

Your workspace is ready: Affinity can use both font families inside a Layout Studio document.

Your tools and type kit are ready. Next, you will turn the blank canvas into a visible six-page dissertation shell.

Build a Rough Dissertation Shell

Your Affinity workspace in Layout Studio is ready. Your installed fonts are available for the dissertation shell.

A six-page shell gives you an early view of the report. Repeating a few formatting choices by hand also exposes how much a long document asks you to maintain.

In this step, get ready to:

Create a six-page A4 portrait document using facing pages.
Build a title page plus sample academic sections.
Expose maintenance drift through manually formatted page elements.

Create the practice document

Facing pages place left-hand pages beside right-hand pages. This view lets you judge an academic document as connected spreads.

The document setup view keeps the page size plus page geometry in one place. Work from the page settings toward the margins before creating the file.

Switch back to the Layout Studio workspace from earlier.
Start a new document from Affinity's document controls.

You should see the document setup view with controls for page size plus document geometry.

Choose A4 as the page size.
Set the page orientation to portrait.

The document preview should now show a tall A4 page.

Set the page count to 6.
Enable facing pages.

The setup summary should now describe a six-page document arranged as facing spreads.

Set the inside margin to 25 mm.
Set each non-inside margin to 20 mm.

The inside margin should now be slightly wider than the other three margins.

Set the bleed on every edge to 3 mm.
Create the document.

You should see six page thumbnails in the Pages panel. Page 1 should stand alone before the facing-page spreads.

That is your first visible win. The complete dissertation shell now has a physical page structure.

Treat These as Practice Values

These dimensions are course settings for this practice shell. Your institution or print provider may specify different margins or bleed for the final dissertation.

Document Setup Looks Wrong?

Return to the document setup controls if the Pages panel shows fewer than six thumbnails.
Confirm facing pages is enabled if every page appears as an isolated sheet.
Check each geometry value against the course settings above.

Still stuck? Help me correct my six-page facing-page document setup in Affinity.

Add the academic sample pages

Placeholder copy lets you test document structure without importing the finished manuscript. Short sections make each page easy to recognize from the page overview.

Separate heading frames from body frames so each piece of text can be positioned independently. Keep every frame inside the visible margin boundaries.

Select page 1 in the Pages panel.
Use the text-frame tool in the left toolbar to draw a large frame inside the page margins.
Type Dissertation Title in the frame.

Page 1 now reads as the title page when you view its thumbnail.

Select page 2 in the Pages panel.
Add a heading frame containing Abstract.
Add a body frame containing This practice abstract summarizes the research question. The study examines a focused academic problem. The final sentence previews the main contribution..

Page 2 should now show an Abstract heading above a short passage.

Select page 3 in the Pages panel.
Add a heading frame containing Introduction.
Add a body frame containing This practice introduction defines the research context. It identifies the central question. The next section develops the argument..

Page 3 should now show an Introduction heading above its sample passage.

Select page 4 in the Pages panel.
Add a heading frame containing Findings.
Add a body frame containing This practice findings section presents one key pattern. The evidence supports a clear interpretation. A later draft can add source detail..

Page 4 should now show the first Findings passage.

Select page 5 in the Pages panel.
Add a heading frame containing Findings.
Add a body frame containing A second finding extends the first result. The comparison reveals a useful contrast. The discussion can test its significance..

Page 5 should now continue the Findings section with a second sample passage.

Select page 6 in the Pages panel.
Add a heading frame containing Conclusion.
Add a body frame containing This practice conclusion returns to the research question. It summarizes the main insight. The final manuscript can state the wider implication..

Page 6 should now finish the shell with a Conclusion heading plus a short passage.

Format repeated elements by hand

One-off formatting stores each decision on a single piece of text. Every local change becomes another value you must remember.

Text size controls the scale of a passage. Leading controls the vertical distance between its lines.

Select the Abstract heading on page 2.
Set its size to 22 pt in the Character panel.
Set its space after to 10 pt in the Paragraph panel.

The Abstract heading should now have its own size plus paragraph spacing.

Select the Introduction heading on page 3.
Set its size to 24 pt in the Character panel.
Set its space after to 14 pt in the Paragraph panel.

The Introduction heading should now look slightly larger plus more widely spaced than the Abstract heading.

Select the body passage on page 2.
Set its size to 10.5 pt in the Character panel.
Set its leading to 15 pt.

The Abstract passage now has a compact reading rhythm.

Select the body passage on page 3.
Set its size to 11 pt in the Character panel.
Set its leading to 16 pt.

The Introduction passage now has a visibly different reading rhythm.

Draw a small footer text frame inside the bottom margin on page 2.
Type Dissertation Practice in the footer frame.

Page 2 should now display the footer text near its bottom margin.

Draw a new footer text frame inside the bottom margin on page 4.
Type the same Dissertation Practice text in the new frame.

The same footer wording is now visible on two pages as two separately created objects.

Before you compare the six pages, do you think these independently formatted elements will still look like one system?

Zoom out until all six page thumbnails are visible.

You should see one title page plus five content pages. The two headings and two body passages differ across pages.

The repeated footer also exists as two separate objects. That mismatch is the useful result.

Your shell now makes the maintenance problem visible. Repeated page decisions have already started to drift.

What Did the Comparison Prove?

Every independently formatted object carries its own settings. Even this short shell already contains several values that would need separate updates.

Pages Still Look Identical?

Confirm the Abstract heading uses 22 pt type.
Confirm the Introduction heading uses 24 pt type.
Check that the two body passages use different sizes plus different leading values.
Verify that each footer was created directly on its own page.

Need another pair of eyes? Help me identify why the manual formatting differences are not visible in my Affinity document.

Your rough shell now makes the maintenance problem visible. Next, you'll replace the one-off text formatting with a reusable type system.

Create Your Text Style System

Your six-page shell now exposes the weakness of manual formatting. Headings with the same purpose already look unrelated.

Shared text styles give each role one reusable definition. Affinity in Layout Studio can update every linked paragraph from a single change.

In this step, get ready to:

Anchor the reading rhythm with a reusable Body style.
Create five more paragraph styles plus an Emphasis character style.
Apply the style system across all six dissertation pages.

Assign the editorial font roles

IBM Plex Serif carries long reading text. IBM Plex Sans carries display text plus navigation text.

The Character panel controls font family plus type size. The Paragraph panel controls leading.

Switch back to the six-page practice document in Layout Studio.
Select one regular body passage on pages 2 through 6.
Create a paragraph style named Body with the controls in the Text Styles panel.
Set IBM Plex Serif as the font family in the Character panel.
Set the type size to 10.5 pt.
Set the leading to 15 pt in the Paragraph panel.
Apply the Body style to the selected passage.

The selected passage should now use IBM Plex Serif at 10.5 pt. Its lines should follow 15 pt leading.

Body Text Still Looks Different?

Confirm that Body is attached to the selected paragraph in the Text Styles panel.
Compare the font values in the Character panel with the settings above.
Compare the leading value in the Paragraph panel with the settings above.

Help me find why my Body paragraph style looks inconsistent in Affinity.

Build the remaining named styles

A paragraph style controls the appearance of a complete text role. One definition can serve every title or quotation with that role.

A character style changes selected characters inside a paragraph. It preserves the paragraph's main style.

Creating both style types from the same panel can feel fiddly. Their different scope keeps document structure separate from local emphasis.

Create a paragraph style named Dissertation Title in the Text Styles panel.
Create a paragraph style named Chapter Title in the same panel.

Both style names should now appear in the Text Styles panel.

Create a paragraph style named Heading 1.
Assign IBM Plex Sans to the three title plus heading styles.

The three display roles now share one sans-serif family.

Give Dissertation Title the largest display scale.
Give Chapter Title a smaller display scale.

The size settings should now establish a clear difference between the dissertation title and chapter title.

Give Heading 1 the smallest display scale.

The three styles should now form a descending hierarchy from dissertation title to section heading.

Create a paragraph style named Block Quote.
Assign IBM Plex Serif to Block Quote.

The quotation role now stays connected to the document's reading typeface.

Create a paragraph style named Caption.
Assign IBM Plex Sans to Caption.

The caption role now uses the same family as the document's supporting display text.

Create a character style named Emphasis in the Text Styles panel.
Set the font treatment for Emphasis to italics.

The Emphasis character style should now appear beside the paragraph styles in the Text Styles panel.

Select a short phrase inside a paragraph using Body.
Apply Emphasis to the selected phrase.

Only the selected phrase should become italic. The surrounding paragraph should retain its Body settings.

Apply and test the system

Applying a named style replaces the mismatched manual choices with one shared rule. The separate footer text stays untouched for a later automation step.

Apply Dissertation Title to the main title on page 1.
Apply Chapter Title to the strongest content-page opener.
Apply Heading 1 to the Abstract, Introduction, Findings, and Conclusion headings.
Apply Body to every regular reading paragraph on pages 2 through 6.
Apply Block Quote to one short sample passage.
Apply Caption to one existing short sample line.
Keep the separately created footer text unchanged on both pages.

The previously mismatched headings should now share a clear hierarchy. The body passages should now follow the same reading rhythm.

The two manual footer lines should still appear exactly as before.

Select paragraphs one at a time if a page still feels uneven. The active style name in the Text Styles panel reveals which rule controls each paragraph.

Before you make the test edit, how many Heading 1 paragraphs do you expect to change?

Select Heading 1 in the Text Styles panel.
Temporarily increase its type size.

Every paragraph using Heading 1 should change together across the document.

Reverse the temporary style edit with Affinity's undo control.
Inspect every paragraph using Heading 1.

That is the payoff of your new system. Every linked heading should return to its previous size together.

Only One Heading Changed?

Confirm that every affected heading uses Heading 1 in the Text Styles panel.
Remove any manual type-size setting that remains attached to an individual heading.
Repeat the temporary style-size test after every heading shares the same named style.

Help me troubleshoot why my Heading 1 style does not update every linked heading in Affinity.

Your dissertation now has a reusable typographic hierarchy controlled from one panel. Next, you will align that type system to a shared column grid plus baseline rhythm.

Build a Grid and Baseline Rhythm

Your named styles now keep headings and paragraphs consistent across the six-page shell. The page frames still need a shared structure so every spread carries that typography with the same discipline.

In Affinity's Layout Studio, column guides will place each frame. A baseline grid will align your body text to its existing 15 pt leading.

In this step, get ready to:

Create two columns inside the existing margins with an 8 mm gutter.
Build a 15 pt baseline rhythm that keeps captions independent.
Snap title, body, quotation, and caption frames to the column guides.

Set the two-column structure

Column guides divide the usable area inside your existing margins. The 8 mm gutter creates clear separation between the two columns.

Return to the dissertation practice document in Layout Studio.
Click View in the top menu.
Choose Margins and Guides.
Set the column count to 2.
Set the gutter width to 8 mm.
Close the settings panel after the values are applied.

You should see two vertical columns inside the existing margins. A narrow gutter should separate them.

How the Grid Fits the Margins

The 25 mm inside margin remains the wider edge near the fold on each facing page. The columns divide only the space between the margins, so your existing page geometry stays intact.

Can't See Two Columns?

Confirm that the dissertation practice document is active instead of the scratch document.
Reopen Margins and Guides from the View menu.
Check that the column count is 2.
Check that the gutter width is 8 mm.

Help me troubleshoot missing column guides in Affinity.

Match the baseline to Body text

The baseline grid gives body text a shared set of horizontal anchors. Matching its spacing to the Body style keeps every line on the same 15 pt rhythm.

Click View in the top menu.
Choose Baseline Grid.
Set Grid Spacing to 15 pt.
Make the baseline grid visible.

You should see evenly spaced horizontal guides across the page. Each interval represents the leading used by the Body style.

Select every paragraph using the Body style inside the main text frames.
Enable baseline alignment in the Paragraph panel.
Select every paragraph using the Caption style.
Leave baseline alignment disabled for the captions.

Your body lines should now sit on the horizontal guides. Captions should retain their independent spacing.

Why Captions Stay Independent

Captions use a smaller scale than body text. Independent spacing lets them sit close to the material they describe without forcing every line onto the body rhythm.

Text Missing the Baseline?

Confirm that the selected paragraphs use the Body style.
Check that baseline alignment is enabled in the Paragraph panel.
Confirm that Grid Spacing remains set to 15 pt.

Help me align my Body text to the baseline grid in Affinity.

Align and inspect the sample pages

The guides define where frames belong. Snapping helps frame edges lock onto those guides while you move or resize them.

Click View in the top menu.
Choose Snapping.
Enable snapping for the column guides.
Drag the title frame edge onto a column guide.

You should see the title frame lock onto the guide. Its edge now shares the grid used by the content pages.

Resize conventional body frames to fit one column.

Each conventional body frame should now follow one pair of vertical column edges. Wider academic passages can span both columns when they need more room.

Reposition each quotation frame against a column guide.
Align each caption frame with the guide nearest its related content.

The title, body, quotation, and caption frames should now share clean vertical edges across the document.

Before you hide the scaffolding, predict whether the pages will still look aligned without the guide lines.

Click View in the top menu.
Choose Margins and Guides.
Make the column guides visible.
Click View again.
Choose Baseline Grid.
Make the baseline grid visible.
Zoom out until pages 2 through 6 are visible.

With the scaffolding visible, your content frames should follow two columns. The body text should sit on the shared 15 pt baseline rhythm.

Click View in the top menu.
Choose Margins and Guides.
Hide the column guides.
Click View again.
Choose Baseline Grid.
Hide the baseline grid.

The guides disappear. Your pages keep their aligned frame edges and even body rhythm.

Frames Not Snapping to Guides?

Return to the Snapping controls from the View menu.
Confirm that guide snapping is enabled.
Move a frame edge closer to the guide before releasing it.

Help me fix guide snapping in Affinity Layout Studio.

You've turned six styled pages into one visual system. Next, a Smart Master Page will control repeated headers, footers, and page numbers from one source.

Automate Pages with a Smart Master

Your type system now keeps the words consistent. Your grid now keeps each page aligned.

The two manual footers still depend on separate edits. A Smart Master Page gives Affinity one shared source for repeated page furniture.

In this step, get ready to:

Build A-Body as a facing-page master for repeated running elements.
Apply automatic page numbers from A-Body to pages 2 through 6.
Prove the shared update before saving Dissertation Design System.af.

Build the body master

A master page holds elements that should repeat throughout a document. Editing the master changes the shared source instead of forcing you to edit each body page.

A facing-page master provides a left layout. It also provides a right layout.

Return to the Pages panel you located earlier.
Create a facing-page Smart Master Page using the panel's master-page workflow.
Name the new master A-Body.
Select the left side of A-Body.
Draw a running-header text frame near the top margin.
Type DISSERTATION DESIGN SYSTEM into the running-header frame.
Apply IBM Plex Sans to the running-header text.
Align the frame within the top margin using the column grid.

On A-Body, you should see the first running header aligned with the page geometry.

Duplicate the running-header frame onto the right side of A-Body.
Align the duplicated frame within the right page's top margin.
Draw a small footer text frame inside the left page's bottom margin.
Draw a matching footer text frame inside the right page's bottom margin.
Align each footer frame using the existing column grid.

What Makes A-Body Reusable?

Objects placed on A-Body become the shared source for every page assigned to that master.

This keeps repeated elements aligned when the document grows beyond six pages.

Apply numbering to the body pages

An automatic current-page-number field reads the position of each assigned page. One master can therefore display the correct number throughout the document.

Select the left footer frame on A-Body.
Insert the automatic current-page-number field using Affinity's page header and footer workflow.
Select the right footer frame on A-Body.
Insert the automatic current-page-number field into the right footer.
Return to the document pages in the Pages panel.
Delete the manual footer text from the first page that still contains it.
Delete the manual footer text from the second page that still contains it.

The two hand-built footer copies are now gone. The master is ready to replace them with one controlled system.

Select the page thumbnails for pages 2 through 6 as one range.
Apply A-Body to the selected pages using the panel's master application workflow.
Inspect pages 2 through 6 at a zoom level that shows their running elements.
Inspect page 1 separately.

That is the repeated-page problem solved. Pages 2 through 6 now inherit A-Body.

You should see the running header plus the correct automatic page number on each assigned page. Page 1 stays free of running elements.

Master Elements Missing?

Confirm that the affected page belongs to the selected range from page 2 through page 6.
Reapply A-Body if a body page does not show the shared elements.
Remove A-Body from page 1 if the title page shows a header or page number.

Help me check why my Affinity master page is not appearing correctly.

Prove reuse and save the foundation

A master proves its value when one source-level change reaches every assigned page. This final test confirms that your body pages remain connected to A-Body.

Before the test, predict whether one master-level change reaches all five assigned pages.

Return to A-Body in the Pages panel.
Replace the left running-header text with DISSERTATION FOUNDATION.
Replace the right running-header text with DISSERTATION FOUNDATION.
Return to the document pages.
Inspect pages 2 through 6.

You should see DISSERTATION FOUNDATION on every assigned body page. Page 1 should remain unchanged.

Save the document locally as Dissertation Design System.af using Affinity's save workflow.
Check the saved document name in Affinity.

You should see Dissertation Design System.af as the document name.

Pages Not Updating Together?

Return to A-Body if you accidentally edited a header directly on a document page.
Confirm that both master header frames contain DISSERTATION FOUNDATION.
Reapply A-Body to any body page that remains disconnected.

Help me find why my assigned Affinity pages are not updating from A-Body.

Your body pages now share their running elements. The title page remains clean.

Your reusable dissertation foundation is saved locally as Dissertation Design System.af.

Secret mission

Design a Chapter-Opening Master

Create a second Smart Master Page named B-Chapter Opener. Give chapter openings more whitespace with stronger hierarchy. Preserve the shared typography, grid, and automatic page numbering.

Clean Up Your Resources

Everything created in this project lives on your Mac. These resources create no ongoing charges.

Resources you used:

The local Dissertation Design System.af foundation file created in Affinity.
The IBM Plex Serif font family installed through Font Book.
The IBM Plex Sans font family installed through Font Book.

Keep everything running

No action is needed. Choose this if you plan to import your finished manuscript into the foundation file during the next course project.

Keep Dissertation Design System.af in the folder where you saved it.
Leave IBM Plex Serif installed for dissertation body text.
Leave IBM Plex Sans installed for display text and navigation elements.

Pause - I'll come back to this later

Shut down the current design session while preserving the foundation for later work.

Switch back to Affinity.
Quit Affinity to stop the current session.
Return to the folder containing Dissertation Design System.af in Finder.
Create a duplicate of Dissertation Design System.af as a backup before making future changes.
Leave both IBM Plex font families installed so the document retains its typography when you return.

Delete - I don't want to use this again

Removing these local resources is permanent. This option fits only when you are certain you will not continue the course.

Switch back to Affinity.
Close the temporary scratch document.
Choose the option that closes the scratch document without saving if Affinity asks.
Quit Affinity.
In Finder, return to the folder containing Dissertation Design System.af.
Drag Dissertation Design System.af to the Trash.

The foundation file has left its saved location. The two installed font families remain on your Mac until you remove them separately.

Press Cmd+Space to open Spotlight.
Type Font Book and press Enter to return to it.
Select the IBM Plex Serif and IBM Plex Sans families in the installed-font list.
Use Font Book's removal option to remove the selected font families.
Empty the Trash to permanently remove the discarded local files.

Nice Work!

Excellent work. You built a reusable six-page dissertation foundation in Affinity Layout Studio.

What you learned:

Built a six-page academic report shell with facing pages. Saved the result as Dissertation Design System.af.
Created a reusable text hierarchy with named paragraph styles. Added an Emphasis character style for local italics.
Aligned page content with a two-column grid. Matched body text to a 15 pt baseline rhythm. Automated repeated page elements with the A-Body Smart Master Page.
Secret Mission: Created the B-Chapter Opener Smart Master Page with stronger hierarchy. Preserved the shared design system across the chapter-opening page.

Ready to quiz yourself?