Faculty

Profile

Rachel Gogel is an independent creative executive and educator whose career grew alongside the rise of modern digital design, spanning influential roles at GQ, The New York Times’ T Brand Studio, Meta, and Godfrey Dadich. Since launching her business in 2020, she has collaborated with global organizations (Airbnb), women-led ventures (Chicken & Egg Films), and inspiring studios (Pentagram). Operating as a fractional leader, Rachel unlocks human creativity by embedding deeply with teams navigating the inflection points where brand, culture, and technology converge. A devoted generalist, her work ranges from reimagining editorial platforms and in-product visual systems to crafting brand identities, campaigns, and book covers.

Rooted now in her childhood city of Paris after nearly two decades in New York and San Francisco, Rachel is forging design community across borders. In early 2026, she co-founded moi & toi with her business partner and wife, Susannah Hainley, a cartoonist and comics educator. Their studio brings together brand strategy, creative leadership, and visual storytelling.

Equally committed to teaching, Rachel has designed curricula for institutions such as California College of the Arts, School of Visual Arts, and The School of The New York Times. Her pedagogical approach centers practical career frameworks and financial literacy for emerging talent. Focused on nurturing the next generation of creative voices in Europe, Rachel is now developing bachelor’s and master’s courses at Penninghen and Parsons Paris.

A queer advocate championing marginalized voices, she addresses industry inequities through speaking, writing, and mentoring. With 100+ speaking engagements to her name, Rachel has appeared at SXSW London, Semi Permanent’s Tokyo Salone, RGD DesignThinkers Toronto, TDC Brisbane, and TypeParis Now26, among others. She also serves as a jury member, conducts portfolio reviews, moderates panels, and leads workshops. Rachel’s insights have been featured in Design Observer, PRINT, Creative Boom, Fast Company, and Designfully’s inaugural print magazine. Recognized on Forbes and Inc.’s ”30 Under 30” lists (2015–16), she later earned a 2022 Webby nomination for spearheading the rebrand of Amex’s Departures and was named one of Creative Boom’s “20 graphic designers inspiring us the most in 2025.”

Rachel mentors internationally through ADPList, Talk To A Creative Director, AIGA NY, and Intro, and stays connected to other creative executives through virtual groups such as Friend of a Friend. She previously served as a board member—and Women in Leadership & Design chair—of AIGA San Francisco (2021–24) and The Society of Publication Designers (2015–18).

Rachel holds a BFA in Communication Design, with a minor in Anthropology, from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and completed an Italy-based summer intensive master’s program in design history, theory, and practice through the School of Visual Arts. No matter where she is in the world, you can always find her museum hopping, playing basketball, or hunting for the perfect chai spot.
 

Portfolio

Rachel Gogel

The 20 graphic designers inspiring us the most in 2025

LinkedIn Profile