Rachel [she/her] is a Parisian creative director, graphic designer, educator, and speaker based in San Francisco. She runs her own consultancy where her approach is informed by experiences both in-house and agency side. As a fractional design executive and queer leader, Rachel believes in fostering inclusive spaces that unlock human potential. She is committed to designing teams that build brands — with a focus on culture and technology.

Over the last sixteen years, Rachel has continued to use design as a tool for change — from building multidisciplinary teams at The New York Times’ award-winning T Brand and GQ to launching story-driven experiences at Departures and Meta. Her career journey has also followed the rise and dominance of an entire era of digital design.

In October 2020, Rachel discovered the world of fractional leadership. Most recently, she served as a part-time head of creative at Godfrey Dadich and executive creative director at HoneyBook. Currently, she is an interim creative director at Airbnb supporting key marketing initiatives launching in May 2025.

As a solopreneur, Rachel has influenced many energizing projects for her clients including: crafting digital experiences, developing brand identity systems, launching new publications, leading org design efforts, building TV show pitch decks, concepting book covers and film posters, shaping employee experiences, and coaching design leaders. Check out her resume here.


Services

  • As an experienced design leader, Rachel provides creative, editorial, and operational guidance on a fractional basis. With expertise building brands from scratch and sixteen years at major media and tech companies, she’s an ideal thought partner for organizations of all sizes. Rachel requires minimal onboarding and has helped agencies not only win pitches but scope out the project and oversee the execution. In the realm of good, fast, and cheap design, Rachel appreciates constraints and merges strategic intuition with high craft.

  • As a design systems and ops expert, Rachel helps brands retain their integrity in a world demanding disruption. Blending creative vision with pragmatism, she adapts well to fast-paced, budget-conscious projects. Drawing on culture trends, she can concept and deliver distinct brand identities — from visual territories to launch campaigns, motion and sonic identities, and more. Now a solopreneur, Rachel provides hands-on or creative leadership as an embedded yet fractional partner, like her current part-time executive creative director role guiding HoneyBook’s in-house brand studio team.

  • Beyond brand identities, Rachel has influenced initiatives such as TV pitch decks, print publication launches, book covers, independent film posters, and digital experiences. A visual strategist at heart, she believes that all projects require a mini discovery phase in order to get fully immersed in the competitive and aspirational landscape. Rachel’s process enables visuals to transcend mere looks to become vehicular — driving concepts, ordering information, and guiding understanding between creators and audiences.

  • Rachel is also passionate about crafting innovative educational experiences for diverse learning environments. She named “The Pedagogy of Generative Transformation” for Krista Tippett (in collaboration with Fraîche Design Thinking) and designed curricula for prestigious institutions like the School of Visual Arts and California College of the Arts. Her career design elective at CCA exemplifies her ability to address evolving work models and empower emerging leaders. Rachel adeptly translates complex concepts into engaging curricula, seamlessly adapting semester-long courses into impactful workshop series.

  • Though Rachel observes her clients’ cultures from the outside, she is capable of driving change and innovation within organizations. She believes that connecting employees to mission, community, and core values through storytelling and shared experiences can (re)build an enduring culture. As a design leader, Rachel feels that you don’t manage the creative process, you enable it. With more distributed-first models, investing in culture programs beyond the physical walls of an office space are more critical than ever. Leverage Rachel to help build new rituals and operating systems for your teams.

  • Rachel navigates organizational design complexity with extensive leadership experience and diverse skills. Having built multidisciplinary teams for several brand initiatives, she can determine optimal structures, identify diverse talent, and address business needs before suggesting who to invest in longterm. Rachel also augments in-house capabilities. She thrives shaping equitable employee experiences — building teams from scratch (0 to 1) or fixing them for a company’s next evolution. Rachel essentially “designs” how people work, actively connecting org culture and internal brand.

  • With hybrid work models becoming the new norm, many knowledge workers are redefining career success. Having held titles ranging from design director to head of creative, Rachel’s experience as a hiring manager provides individuals with behind-the-scenes insights and practical resources. She’s coached countless professionals — from struggling new managers to designers looking to optimize resumes and negotiate their salaries or rates. Rachel seeks to empower all people as they start — or continue — designing their careers.


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When Rachel is not consulting, she seeks to influence the next creative generation as a design educator at the California College of the Arts (CCA) and the School of The New York Times (NYTEdu). At CCA specifically, she introduced a new elective called “Career Design Lab” for graduate students pursuing their MBAs in Design Strategy. She also developed a pilot initiative called “Designing Your Career” for the Master of Design, Interaction Design (MDes) program.

Beyond this, Rachel is an avid public speaker, passionate mentor, and workshop facilitator. She is also an active member of Neol and Queer Design Club, and previously served as a board member of AIGA SF (2021–24) and The Society of Publication Designers (2015–18). All of these platforms amplify her commitment to supporting women- and non-binary-led causes and addressing gender-based disparities in the design industry. Her PRINT Magazine article — published on International Women’s Day 2024 — captures her determination to see more women founders launching their own small creative businesses.

Nominated for a 2022 Webby for pioneering the new Departures brand, she has also been recognized by Inc. as one of 2016’s “30 under 30 Movers and Shakers” and by Forbes as one of 2015’s “30 Under 30” in media.

Podcast Interviews

Tune in to Women Designers You Should Know (Episode 3), Teal’s Hiring Behind The Scenes Podcast, or Wix’s Now What? Podcast (Episode 4) to hear Rachel dive into the future of branding and independent work, eight essential skills to manage teams today, the art of packaging your skills to sync with a business’s needs, and her admiration for iconic designer Barbara “Bobbie” Stauffacher Solomon.

Get in Touch

Email / Instagram / Threads / X
LinkedIn / Read.cv

Portrait illustrated by Joe McKendry.

© 2024 Rachel Gogel LLC