Barbiana Liu
Barbiana Liu
Founder / Brand Designer / Art Director
New York, NY
WHAT DO YOU DO?
“I’m the founder and the lead designer of Leche Studio - a WOC design studio focusing on building unique visuals & digital presence for modern creative brands.”
At Leche Studio, we believe every brand is special in a certain product and service they offer. These brands are full of character and individuality just like the individuals behind it. We work with these businesses by finding the creative freedom, where we design your unique visuals like brand identity & websites, and find clarity through brand strategy.
WHAT STEPS DID YOU TAKE TO GET TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW?
Design has been my passion as far as I can remember, I'm inspired by modern art, fun colors & patterns, interiors, and traveling. After graduating with Computer Science degree, I got my first job as an engineer which I thought would be my life-long career. I couldn't find my happiness for a long time so I left my full-time corporate job in 2018 and moved away from my home country to pursue my passion in design & marketing.
Fast forward to 2020, I finished my Master's Degree in marketing at the University of South Florida, my entrepreneurial spirit called me out - Leche Studio was born! Leche Studio is where I found myself building brands with passionate hands and enjoying spending my days working with many creatives from different fields to bring their visions to life through strategy and design. With my creativity and passion, I hope to continually spread inspiration and design empathy in this community.
How do you stand out in your field?
Having a background in marketing has given me a keen eye for analyzing and promoting my business, so I love to share social media tips or tricks to help out other creative business owners like myself. But most importantly, showing my personality and sharing my entrepreneur journey truly brought like-minded creatives.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON RIGHT NOW?
Also, I recently invested in several different courses (of course one of them is from ilovecreative!!) to learn front-end coding and improve my skills in web development. I hope to create better websites that are not only visually appealing but creative and user-friendly too.
WHAT'S YOUR STYLE/PERSPECTIVE/TASTE? DO YOU HAVE A PROJECT THAT REPRESENTS THIS?
My style is all about fun, modern, and minimal. I get my inspiration from interiors or creative photography to help me find creative solutions. I tend to like bold colors, unique typography, and a little bit 80-90s vintage style. If I have to choose an interior style to represent me, it'll be a modern-minimalistic decorative style where you can see modern furniture in elegant and classic apartments.
WE ARE ALL SLASHIES WITH MULTIPLE SKILLS, WHICH ONE DO YOU WISH YOU COULD DO MORE OFTEN?
I would love to craft more creative websites and brands!
WHAT IS FRUSTRATING YOU RIGHT NOW?
As my studio is scaling rapidly, I'm constantly putting off what I need to do for my own brand. Finding a team is definitely what I need to do in the near future.
IF YOU COULD HIRE SOMEONE FOR $20/HR, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE THEM DO TO MAKE YOUR DAY EASIER?
Plan social media content and assist with creative design.
LET'S BRING OUT THE TIME MACHINE. WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU COULD HAVE TOLD YOURSELF, WHEN, AND WHY?
"You are creative just the way you are and remember to grow at your own pace."
IF YOU COULD TALK TO AN EXPERT TO GAIN MORE INSIGHT ON SOMETHING, WHAT WOULD IT BE ABOUT?
Anything about managing a business! It's not going to be a solopreneur life as always, I need to know how to better manage my business scale in the right way.
WHAT KIND OF OPPORTUNITIES/PROJECTS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
I'm always looking to collaborate. I'd love more product or packaging design!
DESCRIBE YOUR IDEAL JOB/CLIENT/COLLABORATION.
My past relationships with my clients have been born out of my unique design style. My ideal client has a passion for what they are doing and is excited to create a brand that inspires.
Who is a creative that has helped you elevate your work?
Marina - A creative who I connected with on Instagram, she's been my amazing thought partner to cheer me up along the way! She's incredible with her personal branding strategy which inspired me a lot!
Andrea Márquez - Adobe XD Ambassador, who is a creative at Motion Graphics and 3D & AR Design. I'm truly grateful to have her as my designer friend online to share and spark ideas!
HOW SHOULD SOMEONE APPROACH YOU ABOUT WORKING TOGETHER?
I'm always open to e-mails! Just tell me a bit about your project and we schedule a coffee chat together!
HOW DO YOU STAY CREATIVE?
Take time off walking in the city and find a cute cafe to enjoy the view.
This member profile was originally published in July 2021, Updated September 2021.