Many companies are still operating under the assumption that branding is about image, but it’s clear to me that branding is about relationships. Keeping customers happy, making sure they come back, insuring they speak fondly to others about the product… these are the duties of branding. Graphics play a role in relationships, but much less than many companies want to believe.

It leads me to think that companies should really stop looking to graphic designers for their branding. It leads me to think that companies should stop expecting their marketing people to be brilliant at branding, too. There is a psychological reality behind the customer-company relationship that those two fields do not address. Both are often shallow pools that don’t allow the customer to dive deep.

I love Godaddy for its amazing customer service by phone. I love Southwest for its streamlined, levity-filled travel experience. I love The Counter for the way I can build a custom burger with whatever I can think of. Their graphics were professional and reflective of their personalities, and I imagine that’s what got me in the door. But once I was in, why did I stay? Why did I come back? Why did I tell my friends I like these companies? It was what they offered beyond image. It certainly wasn’t Danica Patrick that got me into Godaddy.

I have long believed that a product is a service is an experience is a relationship. Ultimately, the products I use are objects of my relationship with the company that made them. If that relationship is tarnished, I stop using the product. I stopped using Yahoo! for web hosting because they increased the price of my domains by 400%. It was hard moving on. It would have been easier to stay. But they got greedy, and I didn’t want to deal with them anymore. Netflix is making their most loyal customers angry, by announcing that they’ll charge for their two services separately. As great as the product is, it’s going to send some folks looking for other options. It’s not about the product, it’s about the relationship.

The same dynamics that happen with a friendship are at play in that customer-company relationship. Character matters. Trust matters. Reliability matters. And, yes, image matters. If a person is attractive, you’ll do the first date – but you’ll stop dating if you find that person is ugly inside.

I’d like companies to stop putting such a heavy focus on design, and more on experiences and relationships that they’re creating. Many do get it, and they have a staff dedicated to relationships. I think that’s great. It’s clear who does and who doesn’t. And it’s clear that a company’s character is based on the people who run it. Every company benefits from hiring people who know what a good relationship is.