Let’s create together

Let’s get to work

Hey, I’m Rachel and I am a Senior Art Director. I specialize in developing comprehensive creative strategies and executions for paid media placements. I bring 13 years of experience to the table, with the last five focused on leading a team of designers to develop campaigns for Fortune 500 brands like Microsoft.

My personal strengths include:

  • Collaborating with copywriters, animators, creative directors and project managers

  • Using data analysis to inform future creative decisions

  • Delivering high-end presentations to clients and stakeholders; maintaining positive client relationships while ideating complex concepts

  • Leading a team of designers through the creative journey and delivery of assets

References & Recs

  • "Every job I've held during my nearly 20 years as a professional in marketing has involved working with a graphic designer. Without being pretentious, I believe I know a good designer from someone who is sub-par or does unexciting work. Rachel is exciting. Her design expertise is phenomenal. And she knows how to interpret a client's needs into realistic expectations. And that's the difference-maker between a good and bad designer. Rachel understands the eccentricities of client demands. And she knows how to faithfully represent her artistic approach and the value of protecting company reputation. I've worked with Rachel on countless projects where the client's requests were quite extensive and repetitively beyond scope. Each occasion, Rachel delivered. Better yet, she would make recommendations along the way to communicate those essential realistic expectations. Rachel isn't a good designer. She's one of the greats. I hope to work with her again. "

    Ryan Alford
    Visual Communications Manager,
    Lockheed Martin

  • "Rachel has been one of my direct reports for over 3 years now, and in that time, I've seen her develop into one of the most skilled presenters and communicators that I’ve had the pleasure of working with. She really shines in front of the client, an excellent blend of personable and professional. Her creative work is always purposeful, and she takes particular care in explaining the rationale of those creative decisions to internal and external stakeholders. Rachel has served as manager and mentor to two blossoming Graphic Designers, offering guidance and developing their careers. Her team, in partnership with accounts, copy and animation teams, has served the largest Microsoft account in our agency, helping it continually grow year over year. The account is a demanding one: high volumes of work, rigid deadlines, multiple projects and timelines happening at once — it’s certainly a lot to manage. No matter how busy things get, or how many times we’re asked to pivot strategy or adapt to a change in media plan, Rachel keeps everyone focused and aligned. She is an exceptional team leader, coworker and representative for our agency."

    Chris Hoenigmann
    Creative Director, PureRed

  • "Working with Rachel for four years has been a game-changer. Her creative strategy? Brilliant. Innovative. Boundary-pushing. Engaging. Her insights have added a new dimension to our paid media campaigns and creative testing roadmap. What makes Rachel stand out? It's her passion and thoughtfulness in showcasing our Microsoft 365 products, always with the customer at the heart of it all. She turns every project into an exciting journey and infuses positivity into our team. Excited for more groundbreaking campaigns with Rachel!"

    Kate Sodja
    Senior Marketing Manager,
    Microsoft 365 Direct

  • "Rachel has to be one of the most thoughtful/ insightful / intentional creative collaborators I've ever worked with in my 18 years of digital advertising and marketing. She's thorough. She doesn't hesitate to ask why. She prepares for the what ifs and presents with passion. She can think on her feet and has been an asset for client side relationships the entire fourish years I've had the pleasure of knowing her. I've witnessed us win extra work because of her presentations so get ready new employer because you'll need make sure you're ready for the influx of work!"

    Freddy Bustamante
    Animation Director, PureRed

  • "As a client of PureRed, I have had the pleasure of working with Rachel on various creative projects for the Microsoft 365 business. The team appreciates Rachel for many qualities but to call out a few: - Dedication to understanding the product inside and out before designing. Rachel’s depth of product and brand knowledge shines through in her design strategy and execution. - Ability to pivot quickly to business and product change. Rachel has provided us with innovative and strategic recommendations through several directional updates, so that we can be nimble, yet impactful. - Innovation around our interactive ad executions that drove exponentially high engagement rates for the business. - Presence in large group stakeholder presentations. Rachel has great communication skills and has been able to calmly and clearly articulate even the most complex design concepts to large groups of stakeholders. Rachel’s design acumen and dedication to creating earnestly from the customer’s standpoint has been very impressive. Thanks so much for your partnership!"

    Sky Yoo
    Senior Marketing Professional, Microsoft

  • "Rachel brings the unique combination of creativity and efficiency to everything she does. Her project management skills are second to none and she consistently delivers on time. Rachel never takes anything for granted and is always questioning, which makes for the best possible end result. She's an absolute delight to work with and is always offering meaningful ideas and suggestions to improve processes and deliverables. Her commitment to the company, her co-workers and our clients is commendable."

    Vivian Kelly
    Founder & CEO, Interprose PR

  • "I recommend Rachel DeFrank highly for any position she desires, this is how much I think of her skills and abilities and of her as a professional. I worked with Rachel in her capacity as a graphic designer for a high technology marketing communications firm, Interprose, and I was favorably impressed with her ability to creatively, cleanly and effectively convey often complex technological concepts. It always comes through that Rachel has a grasp of the technology concepts she is working with, an essential ability for a professional in this field. She has a confident, positive, can-do attitude that makes her very enjoyable to work with. As well, Rachel is nearly unflappable, confident and an excellent communicator and presenter. As a communications practitioner in the field of high technology for three decades, I have worked with many designers and Rachel stands out as a high functioning professional with unlimited potential. "

    Renee Ayer
    Intelligent PR and Communications for High Tech

  • "Rachel is so strategic and thoughtful in her creative thinking. She considers all the angles and objectives of the client brief and is always a step ahead of the game. She also has a great personality and comes to every project with enthusiasm and a great sense of humor. As the two lead art directors on the Microsoft Consumer team, we've worked together many times on various client projects and I am always impressed with her creativity and collaborative skills. Everyone on the team knows they can count on her for her expertise, creative thinking, people management and mentorship. It's been a great experience working with her!"

    Christan Moy
    Senior Art Director, PureRed

  • "I was privileged to work with Rachel during our time together at Interprose. Rachel is passionate about the designs she creates and has such a unique ability to visually communicate a concept. She is determined to not only get the job done, but do it well and give 100% through completion. I appreciate her work ethic, professionalism and true respect for those working alongside her."

    Carrie Owens
    Director of Marketing and Communications, Enernex

  • "Rachel is an incredibly talented graphic designer. In addition, she is enthusiastic and committed to delivering quality work on a tight schedule. As a critical member of my marketing services team at Interprose, our clients have come to rely on Rachel for amazing work and quick turn-around. She has a deep understanding of how to incorporate impactful color combinations, patterns and powerful calls to action into very effective creative pieces. Whether it's for digital advertising, social media, huge print banners or anything in between, Rachel has always delivered. "

    D. Mark Durrett
    Chief Marketing Officer, Stamus Networks