DAM News Round-Up – 19th May 2025
A selection of DAM-related articles from around the web, sourced by the DAM News editorial team.
Frontify Integrates Figma Templates
Brand Management vendor, Frontify, have recently announced integration with Figma to enable designs to be imported and quickly converted into Frontify templates that non-designers can use to create brand-compliant collateral:
“With the Figma Templates integration, marketing teams don’t have to waste time and resources with cumbersome workarounds: Designers use the tool they love while non-designers can execute campaigns and assets at scale — all within a seamless, brand-compliant workflow. The integration brings Figma designs directly into Frontify’s Templates module, automatically converting frames into structured, reusable templates with locked and editable elements. Designers maintain creative control, and marketers can customize and scale assets quickly without breaking brand guidelines or relying on design teams for every update.” [Read More]
Is anyone really using LLMs to successfully automate cataloguing of digital assets?
On LinkedIn last week, I posted a question: is anyone currently using a DAM or metadata management tool that utilises LLMs and Generative AI integrated with their DAM to automate the cataloguing of digital assets? https://www.linkedin.com/posts/activity-7326255390852014086-gQyu/
“In particular, I am interested in those who work in specialist fields, i.e. an industry or vertical where subject-oriented metadata is absolutely critical for being able to find relevant digital assets. For example: cars/automotive, pharmaceuticals, niche FMCG, museums, sports, law enforcement, public sector etc. This is not about generic, ‘stock photo’ assets…I’ve been discussing this with a few different people recently and the consensus seems to be that true, productivity-enhancing GenAI integration with DAM is a bit like teenage sex: there’s a lot of big talk being made, but not so much real action. I’m keen to find out if this is universally true.” [Read More]
I got a few interesting responses back with some suggested solutions for how LLMs could be employed and various research initiatives that were taking place (both commercial and academic). The consensus seemed to be, however, that while there was potential, both the tools and the knowledge of how to develop it were not in-place yet for production-use DAM.
More concerning was that some end-users were coming under pressure from vendors to simplify their metadata schemas based on the expectation that AI would remove the need for them. The ‘AI will solve everything’ strategy which some DAM vendors have pinned their colours to might well be over-optimistic. I have seen some vendors claim that they have solved this issue, but to-date, none has agreed to let me see any working product. I await their responses to my request for demos with great interest.
Will GenAI Replace DAM? Only If DAM Refuses to Evolve
In this feature article written for DAM News, Paul Melcher, explores whether Generative AI (GenAI) should replace traditional DAM systems:
“The question isn’t whether Generative AI (GenAI) could replace Digital Asset Management systems—it’s whether it should. Based on emerging capabilities and shifting expectations, the answer is nuanced. GenAI absolutely has the potential to render traditional DAM obsolete. But a more promising outcome is also possible: that DAM evolves, absorbs, and expands through AI.” [Read More]
Paul’s article is particularly prescient in the context of the previous discussion about vendor over-optimism about the capabilities of AI with respect to DAM. The main themes which emerge from his article (and the previous item) is that DAM vendors can’t simply expect to bolt on LLMs and other AI tools and hope to leverage their benefits simply by association alone. In order to remain relevant and not simply get routed around (to use Paul’s description), vendors need to adapt their solutions in a multi-faceted manner.
Of particular interest was his point about DAMs becoming a launchpad for original content generation, this sees them move out of their conventional archival role and into something quite different. I have had discussions with people in DAM about this before and one view is that this is perhaps beyond the remit of DAM and into another field. As Paul implies, however, end-users will expect to be able to go to the same solution to both search and create. If DAMs don’t provide this, they will become obsolete and dedicated AI-oriented tools will replace the functionality they offer in order to provide users the functionality (and experience) they will demand.
Unlocking the Power of Metadata in Digital Asset Management: A Comprehensive Guide
In this article, Nate Holmes from DXP vendor, Acquia (who assimilated DAM tool, Widen a few years ago) discusses the subject of metadata:
“Digital content inherently comes with basic metadata, such as filenames and file types. However, custom metadata can be curated and added within a DAM system, encompassing details like file status, intended use, timestamps, and digital rights information. Collectively, metadata plays a crucial role in making digital assets easily discoverable and accessible.” [Read More]
To a lot of seasoned DAM-pros, this might seem like fairly basic and obvious stuff. Given that many new DAM users (and far too many less experienced DAM vendor sales reps) have discounted the subject on the basis that AI will make it obsolete, however, a primer like this article which gives a reasonably detailed overview of the major concepts still has considerable value. The fact that this article could have been written 10-15 years ago succinctly illustrates how some aspects of DAM remain consistently relevant and essential for achieving a successful DAM initiative implementation.
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