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Why we created Raster

At Monogram, images mean a lot to us. Our design work means that digital assets are at the core of what we do and we watch our clients take over websites and implement their own brand management processes.

And the reality is, managing digital assets can be really complicated. There are some great DAM legacy systems out there, but overall it’s an industry that has failed to progress and match the needs and UX expectations of users.

We’ve watched as clients have used multiple platforms to store, edit, and share images. Struggled to find the image that they need. Created multiple versions because it’s simply faster than searching through their library. Or had workflows fall apart and the wrong image used for a new campaign simply because their existing tools make collaboration impossible.

That’s why we created Raster. Like a lot of software, it started as an internal tool to help us do our jobs better and then we realized that it could help a lot people as well. Raster is a digital asset management platform that allows you to host, organize, and edit your entire image library from a single place.

But it’s more than just that. Our AI-powered tagging system will improve your data hygiene and make it easy to find an image whenever you need it. Our collaborative tools enable multiple team members to carry out real-time editing. And overall we aim to deliver a user experience that has yet to be seen within the DAM space.

The problems with DAMs

Now, you might have made it this far and thought to yourself that you’ve got a DAM that does everything that you need it to do. It hosts your images and connects to your CMS and any other software that you use. What more could we possibly want?

Statista research shows that global data creation is projected to search 180 zettabytes by 2025. Now, I’m not going to lie, I had to look up what that number meant, but all I can tell you is that it means a lot of images.

Most DAMs out there will handle that, but they won’t make your life any easier in the process. So why aren’t you expecting more out of your DAM?

If you’re reading this, then there’s a good chance that you’ve used multiple platforms to store and share digital assets. You’ve probably also struggled to find the right version of the image that you want. You may even have been lazy enough to simply add in a new version instead of finding the image from within your library.

Good news. You’re not the problem.

The traditional DAM approach is terrible for data hygiene, the security it provides is compromised by the fact that you have to use third-party solutions to share and edit images, and it can often make efficient workflows virtually impossible.

Raster aims to solve all of those problems. We’re building the only platform that you will need for your digital asset management. That’s why we aren’t a DAM, we’re more than a DAM.

The best DAM-thing on the internet

So, Raster isn’t a DAM…or at least, it isn’t just a DAM. With Raster, you get multiple tools and features that allow you to handle your digital asset management on a single platform. This means that every team involved in your brand and digital asset management can use Raster and collaborate from the same space.

For marketers, this means that they have one library for all of their digital assets and, most importantly, thanks to our AI tagging system, can find the one they need, when they need it. That might sound pretty basic, but we know how painful that experience can be. That same AI tagging system encourages good digital hygiene principles and significantly improves workflow processes.

For designers, we’re developing cutting-edge editing tools that will allow you to edit your images on the same platform that you store them on. You’ll never have to touch your source files, can have multiple team members simultaneously editing an image in real-time, and can make it easy for other teams and colleagues to know which image is the latest version.

For developers, all of your hosting troubles are solved by our CDN. Plus our built-in EXIF metadata support means that your images retain all of their metadata. Our class-leading web-arch and robot permissions also mean that all of your digital assets are totally secure and you don’t have to worry about Bob from marketing storing the upcoming campaign on his personal gmail account.

But we aren’t there yet…

So, that’s it. That’s why Raster was created.

We know what it is like to read the latest product announcements. Huge promises and talk of game-changing upcoming features. Raster isn’t perfect (yet), but this product was born out of our own needs and we’re working hard to deliver all of the features that we want.

2023 is going to be a huge year for Raster, but you can start using the product today. For the time being, it’s still free. That’s right, free access to all of our features, free access to unlimited hosting, and free access to a tool that will significantly improve your digital asset management.

All that we ask for in return is that a few of you are willing to take part in some feedback sessions. It’s not a requirement by any means, but, the more we learn about what you need and how you use Raster on a daily basis, the better we can make it.

Sign up here.

Now in Public Beta

Ready to give Raster a try?

Raster is a digital asset manager for modern teams, saving time organizing, editing, and hosting photography.

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Thumbnails of four photographs as depicted in Raster