About Gabby
The cliff notes
French scientist who wandered into design and never left. Founder of Figures & Figures studio. She makes complicated data look good and actually useful.
The slightly longer version
Gabrielle grew up in a chaotic household with five kids in a sleepy French town. She always had a knack for art, but her doctor parents insisted she "do science instead because you can always be an artist on the side".
She dutifully got a Master's in Immunology and Biotechnology, and a Magistere in Biotechnology & Communications because apparently she enjoyed school. Eventually, Gabrielle realized she could explain science better than she could conduct it. She made some truly hideous infographics in the beginning (we all start somewhere) before finding her groove in the data visualization world.
After a brief detour designing for cosmetics and restaurants (try getting a job on a visa), Gabrielle took the leap in 2019 to focus on what really mattered to here: using design to make important information usable to everyone.
Over the last decade, Gabrielle has worked in information design across studios and in-house teams, including at Pentagram. Today, she runs Figures & Figures.
Full career background on Linkedin
.png)
Sh*t she believes in
Gabrielle approaches design with a clear set of principles that guide her work:
- She believes impact matters more than aesthetics, measuring success by real-world outcomes, not just visual appeal. Her work aims to create more equitable systems where everyone has access to the information they need to make better decisions.
- She's known for challenging conventional thinking and reframing problems to discover more effective solutions. This often means pushing stakeholders beyond their initial request to address the underlying challenges.
- She values long-term vision over short-term gains, often building systems and capabilities that continue delivering value long after she's gone.
