The year is flying by. Summer vacation is just around the corner, and for us, this is a great time to look back—but especially to look ahead. The first half of 2026 brought us new customers, technical advancements, and the announcement of a major expansion of our platform.
At Comrads, we’re proud of the strides we’re making together with our clients. Not only because we get to work with some great names, but especially because we’re seeing that organizations are increasingly opting for a structured approach to content, brand consistency, and digital collaboration.
New Customers, New Energy
For us, the first half of 2026 was marked, among other things, by exciting new partnerships. We were pleased to welcome Tuindeco and Gadero, Kader Group, Ten Cate, and the City of Leeuwarden. Each of these organizations has its own dynamics, ambitions, and content challenges.
For us, this is more than just a nice addition to our client list. It shows that DAM, brand management creative automation are increasingly recognized as essential building blocks for organizations that want to work smarter and more consistently.
At the same time, we’re also making significant strides with our existing clients. Innovation, expansion, and collaborative problem-solving are naturally part of that. It is precisely these long-term partnerships that ensure we not only build solutions but also continue to improve them together.
AI is taking on a practical role
From a technical standpoint, we’re making significant strides with AI this half-year. Not as an end in itself, but as a means to make our work smarter, faster, and more relevant. Within our development methodologies, we’re using AI in an increasingly targeted way to support processes and improve quality.
On the front end, we’re also seeing this reflected in new possibilities for clients. AI auto-tagging has been available for quite some time now, and features such as text recognition in images and facial recognition will be added soon. This will lay the foundation for an even smarter and richer metadata structure and search experience.
That development is important, but we take a level-headed approach to it. AI is powerful, as long as the foundation is solid. Metadata, a rights structure, and clear agreements remain indispensable. Without those foundations, AI mainly produces more general tags, but not necessarily higher quality.
From Search to Conversation
Read more about the use of AI in DAM in DAM Trends 2026 >
One of the most promising upcoming features is conversational search within our DAM application. This will make it possible to search for content in a more natural way, rather than just using traditional filters or individual keywords.
For many organizations, this can be a major improvement. Especially when teams work with large volumes of digital assets on a daily basis, an intuitive search experience makes the difference between searching and finding. That saves even more time, reduces frustration, and eliminates duplicate work.
Our conviction remains the same: AI shouldn’t be just a buzzword, but a practical tool. That’s why we’re eager to discuss this with our clients so that, together, we can determine where AI truly adds value.
Brand Templates is coming soon
In addition to AI developments, we have more exciting news. Our latest Brand Template module will be launched soon. This solution is based on cutting-edge online design and template software and offers a one-stop solution for creating and producing brand and campaign materials.
The strength of this module lies in its combination of smart templates, speed, scalability, and brand consistency. It enables teams to create content variations for digital, animation, and print more quickly, without compromising the brand identity. This makes it easier to maintain a professional and recognizable presence across multiple channels simultaneously.
For organizations that want to grow their brands without losing control, this is a logical next step. It gives marketers and local teams more freedom, while maintaining centralized brand oversight.
Personal and Trustworthy
There were also some wonderful moments within the company. Our enthusiastic account manager, Laura, is on maternity leave. As of this writing, we’re still waiting for the news, but as colleagues, we’re naturally looking forward to the arrival of a new member of the Comrads family.
That also aligns with how we work. Comrads is a close-knit family, and you can see that in the way we interact with each other and with our clients. We’re personal, engaged, and approachable, without any unnecessary formality. It’s precisely this culture that enables us to contribute substantive ideas, adapt quickly, and work together to build solutions that truly fit an organization.
Look ahead
The second half of 2026 promises to be just as interesting. With new clients, further AI enhancements, and the launch of our latest Brand Templates module, we have a lot to look forward to.
Are we already working together, or are you considering an investment in a DAM or Brand Templates application? If so, we’d love to discuss what would best suit your organization. This could involve expanding your system with the Adobe Creative Cloud plugin, enriching your metadata with AI, implementing the new Brand Templates module, or simply focusing on the basics: a robust metadata and rights structure.
Because, ultimately, that’s what it’s all about: working smarter, ensuring consistency, and working together to build a content organization that’s ready for the future.