As a creative leader, Joseph helped to define and lead the relaunch of iconic brands, beginning with Banana Republic in 2020 and Esprit in 2022. In addition, as a creative strategy and brand consultant, he has worked for past clients including Google, LVMH, W Hotels, Chanel, and Tiffany & Co., among others.

In 2025, he founded Joseph Akel Studios, with clients ranging from cultural institutions, including the Musée du Louvre, to global crypto platform Binance.

In addition to his brand work, Joseph has an extensive background as a creative director and editor in lifestyle and fashion publishing. In 2012, he co-founded the culture magazine, Man of the World, and in 2014, he co-founded At Large, a bi-annual publication with contributors including Jackie Nickerson, Collier Schorr, Ib Kamara, Magnus Unnar, Roe Ethridge, Paolo Roversi, and many others. Joseph has also served as the Executive Editor and Art Director for V and VMAN magazine and, in 2017, launched L’Officiel USA as its first Editor-in-Chief and creative director.

Lastly, Joseph is a widely published cultural critic and arts writer; his writing has appeared in The New York Times, T Magazine, The Financial Times, The Paris Review, Artforum, Interview, Frieze, New York Magazine, WSJ Magazine, and Vanity Fair.