Basketball + Shoes + Design = Happy

It comes as little surprise to those of us who knew him from highschool, that Barton Liang, would end up designing shoes for a career. He was always sketching new sneaker ideas. Recently we caught up to discuss how he became a Designer II for New Balance and what he has learned along the way.

What is it about shoes that you love?
I think that growing up shoes were the easiest way for me to express my style. I was passionate about shoes because I loved basketball. I remember reading a review of a basketball shoe, the Adidas TMAC-2, and the article was evaluating the shoe on both its performance and its looks. That article taught me that Basketball shoes were functional on the court but also a part of your style off the court. Ultimately I got into shoes because it was a way to express my style and the interest held because I enjoyed that blend of function and style.

How many sneakers do you have today?
Oh! Haha!! I’ve managed to dial down the volume of sneakers I own. At work I’m surrounded by sneakers so I don’t see a need to collect as many as I used to. I collected sneakers so I could look at them and appreciate their design. As I’ve gotten older I can find the same satisfaction by seeing the shoes in-store; I don’t need to own them. But to answer your question, I obviously stick exclusively to New Balance—mostly in black and white, maybe a heathered gray if I feel like lightening up a bit—and have about 25 pairs of sneakers. It’s manageable. In high school it was worse; most of my money was disposable and that all went into sneakers.

Did you ever doubt that you would become a shoe designer?
I think that every creative person has those doubts. I consider myself incredibly lucky because I’ve had this goal that I’ve wanted and I’ve managed to get it. But I have had countless moments when I questioned whether it would happen. If you talk to a creative person and they tell you they always knew it would happen, that’s not the complete picture. There’s always a moment when you wonder if it will happen.

If you weren’t a shoe designer, what would you be doing?
As far as a backup plan went, apparel design or luggage design jumped out at me. I still remember the conversation I had with myself when I was job searching. I decided that as long as I was drawing and making something, I’d be happy—if I managed to also design shoes that would be a bonus. I’ve always been enthusiastic about soft goods. Today I enjoy speaking with the New Balance apparel designers because they have a different approach to textiles. It’s like two musicians from different genres of music talking to each other: we speak the same design language but have different deliverables.

How have you improved your design skills?
I think it’s very important to find a mentor early in your career. I’ve been fortunate to have very supportive supervisors who have mentored me. First was Ian Burgess, who loved experimenting with design and encouraged me to always be curious. Today it’s Andrew Nyssen, who has taught me to view mistakes as opportunities for growth and trusts me to learn from them. They’ve both pushed me creatively and I’m better for it.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned?
Knowing when to be decisive and when to explore. When you start out in a design career you have to realize that you’re not creating art, you’re creating a sellable product. Sometimes I’m given the time and creative freedom to explore many different concepts and materials. Other times I have to be much more straightforward with my assigned tasks. I’ve learned to recognize when a project needs quick decisions and when I can explore ideas. I’ve learned to enjoy that different projects challenge me creatively and others challenge my problem-solving skills.

How do you know when it’s time to stop exploring and time to make decisions?
Usually right before my design review. Haha!! Like most creatives, whether I’m given one day or 100 days, I will use all of that time to explore ideas. Rarely do I feel like I’ve 100% arrived at the right design solution. I’ve had to learn to be more flexible with my solutions. I prefer to present multiple good options than one or two options that I think are great because if those one or two ideas aren’t approved after my design review I’m in bad shape.

It sounds like you really rely on the collaboration of a design review to reach a final design.
Absolutely. Collaboration is important because you don’t have all the answers. In the sporting goods industry we’re selling to a consumer who wants a product that is first functional and second fashionable. We take feedback from customers seriously and add that to our own internal dialogue.

What tips do you have for improving communication?
Learning to communicate effectively with others was challenging at first. It can be difficult to collaborate with someone who doesn’t understand how much creative work is invested in a project. Over time I’ve learned that if you try to understand what the other person is wanting to accomplish you can incorporate their needs into the product’s story. By addressing those needs you help the other person understand the design choices you made and they are more willing to accept them.

What are your proudest achievements at New Balance thus far?
I’d say there are two.

1. Being able to join a company like New Balance.
   I grew up in Missouri and got to move out to the east coast even without any connections in the footwear industry. I actually applied twice for their internship program. My second time applying I was offered a 6-month internship. Once the internship was complete they offered me a full-time position and I’ve been with them ever since. 
2. Being asked to move from Cross-Training/Tennis to Performance/Running. Obviously New Balance is a running shoe company so to be given the opportunity to move to the team with the highest visibility and highest-profile products made me feel a great sense of validation. There’s still a lot I’d like to learn and I’m grateful to have new opportunities to grow and contribute to this team.

What do you think is missing in fashion and footwear?

My favorite style is sport-goth. I love the designs coming out of Hong Kong and Japan because of their anime and cyber-punk influence. It’s hard to find western companies who make anything like that. Uniqlo and H&M have simplified versions of this look, but I want bigger and bolder silhouettes. New York and Tokyo Fashion Week are my favorite because of their street-style; geographically they experience all four seasons so the styles seen at these Fashion Weeks are very expressive. That’s another reason I got into sneakers. It was hard to find clothes I liked so I stuck with neutrals and let my shoes be the highlight. I think footwear is in a very interesting place today. The fashion aspect of footwear is more overt as opposed to being implied. While I really like a lot of the aesthetics of today's footwear I think it's important that it's balanced with a sense of function as well. Basketball and tennis shoes take quite a beating so it's important that durability is taken into consideration as well as looks.

To see the products Barton has helped design you may visit the New Balance website, or view their Instagram profile for running shoes. Thank you Barton for your story and I wish you continued success!