Melinda is based in Los Angeles where she’s a Creative Director, Art Director, Designer, Visual Artist, Filmmaker and Entrepreneur and has worked at agencies like AKQA, KesselsKramer, BBH, 72andSunny, and Deutsch. She’s created integrated experiences for global brands, music, advertising, interactive, and the arts. She’s shown work in London, Sao Paulo, Los Angeles and San Francisco, participated in the San Jose Art Biannual and has been featured in Dazed and Confused, Wallpaper, Cool Hunting, NME, Design Week, and Juxtapoz.

MOCAtv - ART IS FOR YOU
Worked with MOCAtv to help launch the world’s first art-centric Youtube channel. From strategic positioning to web films to social media platforms encouraging users to upload their own art, we’ve helped create a democratic space for MOCA’s artful programming to be viewed and shared by everyone.

LOVE/HATE GRAFFITI
Love/Hate Graffiti turns youtube into a platform for viewers to express their unconditional love or hate for street art.

MOCAtv - Love/Hate Graffiti from Melinda Gorham on Vimeo.

ART IN THE STREETS - Upload more street art.
Silverlake Conservatory of Music Art



FLEA - Silverlake Conservatory of Music Art
Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers tells the story of how he discovered music and the challenge under privileged kids have in learning and having access to the Arts.

MOCAtv - Flea & Silverlake Conservatory of Music from Melinda Gorham on Vimeo.

The Silverlake Conservatory of Music currently has 700 students, 200 of which are on a full scholarship, learning music for free. Help the school fund a building project, which will allow them to triple the amount of full music scholarships they are able to provide for in-need students.
http://silverlakeconservatory.org/

SKREAM / Music Video

Scion sponsored this music video for UK's most popular dubstep DJ, SKREAM. The track Nefariousa sets the mood for a child-star clown who goes on a soul-searching journey filled with chaos. Written/Directed by myself and AUTISTA partner in crime, David Charles.



SKREAM / Nefariousa

Written & Directed by AUTISTA (David Charles & Melinda Gorham)
Production Designer: Melinda Gorham (art direction, sets, wardrobe, graphics)
DP: Todd Kellstein, Editor: Mandy Brown, Photographer: Melissa Castro
Producer: Mike Gamms, EP: Craig Bernard

SKREAM / Shoot Photos

SHIFT by TIM KRING / Branded eBook Experience

Interactive eBook experience was created in partnership with Nokia to celebrate the launch of SHIFT ( a novel by Tim Kring - creator of HEROS ) and the new N8 touch phone by Nokia.

click here...

THE DEATH SET / Music Video

Scion sponsored this music video for The Death Set about a man who eats his way to find his one true love. Written/Directed by myself and AUTISTA partner in crime, David Charles.



THE DEATH SET / It's Another Day

Written & Directed by: AUTISTA Collective (David Charles & Melinda Gorham)
Production Designer: Melinda Gorham (art direction, set design, wardrobe, graphics)
DP & Editor: Noel Maitland, Photographer: Melissa Castro
Producer: Ryan Kohler, Exec.Producer: Craig Bernard

The Death Set - It's Another Day / Shoot Photos


The Death Set - It's Another Day / Press

JELL-O / Visual Language & Site Experience

We didn’t want to create a homepage for JELL-O, we wanted to create a home - a gelatin and pudding universe filled with bright colors, whimsical characters and clever details that together form an online hang out spot for JELL-O lovers of all kinds.



Visual Language

The re-branding of JELL-O sought to recreate the classic feeling of joy the brand had brought to previous generations without relying too much on nostalgia.

By introducing a cast of fun stylized characters and a visual vocabulary that feels fresh, the new identity burst with vibrancy and joy. The simple graphic fruit characters, bright color-palette and naive typography make the brand feel playful and pop without veering into overtly saccharine or Saturday morning cartoon territory.

click to view next



JELL-O / Environments

The website was time-sensitive merging its aesthetic from morning to nighttime. The visual strategy and engagement methods were influenced by Forrester's "Principals for Emotional Experience Design". view animations

click to view next



JELL-O / Site Experience

The site's content was encased with dynamic graphics that adjusted to the time of day, season, which product or section the user was in, and even the user's behavior. Doing so brought a spontaneous, jester-like feel which stayed true to the brand's essence.

click to view next




JELL-O / Animations

The animations help the site feel tangible, alive and most importantly, ready to be explored. The idea was to create movement that was just enough for the site to feel alive and intuitive, but not enough to distract the user from the content. Thee animations were time-sensitive merging its aesthetic from morning to nighttime.

* click on JELL-O logo to view the next scene

GOOGLE PLAY / User Experience

Google Play is a digital media service that rivals the iTunes and Hulu's of this world. While at BBH LA I was tasked to concept how Google Play could integrate richer discovery and consumption experiences into their existing model. How do we go beyond social integration and ingenious recommendation services? How do we create something useful and ownable that goes beyond what we already have?



Google Play / Approach

The approach focused on amplifying Google's existing features to address the way we consume culture as human beings, not carrousel spinners. The visual approach highlighted the best content and features without any gimmicks or added layers. Things like social and editorial recommendations (by people, not algorithms), media mixes (bundle everything from books to apps based on unique themes), crowd annotations, real-time music matching, and live social activity.

Google Play / Hangout & Circles Integration

Inspired by friends abroad who watch movies together via Skype, we decided to use these features as a way to share content, discuss - even start book or film clubs or read a bedtime story to your little one while afar. The content club gave users the ability to share content with people in your circle, send and receive screening invites and peer to peer recommendations. This idea could go beyond and even be used for study groups or tutorials. And for music, you could dance your socks off in a virtual dance hall.

FIAT / Site Redesign

While freelancing at 72andSunny I helped win Fiat's US Digital AOR. The site's redesign focused on two principles: connect the US market to Fiat's strong design heritage and seamlessly enable users to configure a new Fiat.

To get there we made the content dynamic, conversational and playful, closely aligned with the brand's tone. Once the users were engaged we would invite them to configure their own Fiat, set up a test drive, or speak to a sales rep all without leaving the site experience.

We wanted it to feel effortless, passionate and intelligently designed just like the Italian automaker.

GAP / Integrated Holiday Campaign

Gap wanted two things for Christmas: a cast full of celebrities and to promote holiday mixing and matching. To solve this, we filmed a cast of 10 celebrities paired in every single combination possible and enabled the consumer to mix and match throughout the site experience, creating customized songs, videos, and outfits to share with others.



GAP / Merry Mixed Carols

Watch the cast of celebrities perform classic Holiday songs, send customized greetings to your friends, or shop their look.

GAP / Merry Mixer

Select which celebs you want to mix up to create the ultimate holiday video greeting to share with friends and family.

GAP / Mix Don't Match

Mix and match Gap's entire holiday collection, save outfits, build gift lists, and shop.

GAP / Merry Mixit - iPhone App

We launched Gap's very first iPhone app for Holiday 09'. Users could watch the celebrity cast perform or mix and match the collection, with the ability to add their freshly mixed outfits to giftlists for friends and family.

GAP / Facebook Integration

Back to College 09' was probably one of my most challenging projects to date. We built an entire campaign that got tested and killed two months before launch. Then we had exactly one week to jump back and produce an entirely new approach.

THE DECEASED: COLLEGE 09 VIDEO LESSONS
We wanted to bring the ADD college culture to retail so we worked with Jon Krisel, co-director and lead editor from Tim&Eric Awesome Show. Sensory overload is the best way to describe our visual approach. Hero shots of product were still the centerpiece of the campaign, but disguised as one of the quirky fun elements.







PHASE ONE: Facebook + Video Banners








Facebook page with retro desktop appeal








Rich Media Banners






Video banners with animated gif backgrounds

Check out the animated GIFs...

ONE ( catnap )
TWO ( products )
THREE ( pits )









THE PRODUCED: REALITY CHECK!
Freedom, friends and fun are a big part of College, but to make the most of your time there you have to keep yourself in check. This is a series of light-hearted stories from both Scholars and Moms about the realities and “A-ha” moments we all face in the collegiate world.

I'm an AD, experience designer and one of the artists of Autista, a Brazilian/American art collective that comes together every year to bring something new into the world.



March, 2010
FAX EX-MACHINA EXHIBIT @ KK Outlet London + POP São Paulo

Four Brazilian Artists. Four UK Artists. Three fax machines. One exhibition.
High taxes and blindsided customs laws make it impractical to import and export art in and out of Brazil. Using the lo-fi means of fax machines we aimed to avoid these extortionate charges and showcase young talent in and outside of the country.

UK / Brasil Poster



Gallery Entrance





The Brazilian Faxes
Since this show would be purely in black in white, we had to create a way to showcase the work + bring vibrancy. I used the same color palette and reinterpreted the Brazilian customs logo to draw attention to their abusive laws. And built giant sized faxes to house the work from each artist in the show.


The UK Faxes
We displayed each artist in front of his own fax and designed special coversheets for the artists to write their own bio's.


Public Faxes
A third Fax open to public submissions was presented in the store-front, inviting all the work in. Work was encouraged to be submitted on custom coversheets we created and made available for download on KK's blog + website.



PRESS /



October, 2008
THE DIRTY HAIRY EXHIBIT
Hair as an erotic subject matter. The films of Alexander Jodorovsky. Retro-futurism. Metaphysical Naturalism. Vampyros Lesbos soundtrack. Brasilian soft-porn from the 70’s. AUTISTA mashes up all of the above and transports it to OXENROSE Salon &Gallery.

Logo+Flyer
Opening piece

Fire Crotch Wall
From a combination of different flocks of ginger hair I built my Fire Crotch piece and vintage photos found in thrift stores added to the story.


Salon Takeover
I created a performance at the entrance where a model cut her own hair and delivered it in a packet to the guests who arrived. Projections of 70's Soft Porn flicks from were added to the walls, custom typography took over the front windows, and limited edition t-shirts were sold.


Juxtapoz sponsored our show...


The Dirty Hairy Collection created in partnership with Free Gold Watch

THE ALCHEMISTS / Visual Language

The Alchemists, a Transmedia Storytelling company, builds worlds that are layered across multiple medias. I wanted to represent that concept graphically so I created a dimensional approach that had each section of the site represented by a different universe. And telegraph the notion that stories/landscapes are the common thread, the sticky glue that unites fans, brands and content living the same dream.



The Alchemists / Site Experience


The Alchemists / Blog

BANANA REPUBLIC / Interactive Videos + Digital Campaign

Banana Republic's "City Stories" campaign highlighted up and coming artists and the cities that inspire their music + fashion.



CITY STORIES / Interactive Videos & Site Experience

Visitors could watch interviews + performances, read artist bios, download tracks and even shop the featured looks. The site proved to be just what Banana needed - the average time spent on the site was 8:15, with 6.8 page views.

CITY STORIES / Branded Content

CAA created the content & AKQA built out the campaign and interactive video experience.

CITY STORIES / Rich Media

Interactive video banners let users shop, listen to tracks and watch videos full-screen.

CITY STORIES / iTunes Integration

Partnership with iTunes allowed for a free, downloadable tracks on the site.

GAP 1969 / Branded Content & Interactive Videos

Interactive Videos were created to romance 1969 Denim, providing the sight, sound and motion Gap is known for, but with a twist: these inspiring shorts have an added layer of utility that let’s consumers shop and discover product content from the film.



GAP 1969 / Click to the Beat - Interactive Music Videos

Interactive videos that come to life when users click to the beat of each song. The environment always starts the same, but each time they click they add new elements to the video as if they were building it piece by piece.

Beach House / 1979 Bleached Denim


Kid Cudi + Kid Sister / 1979 Rolled Denim

Little Boots / 1979 Zipped Denim



GAP 1969 / Celebrity Details - Interactive Stories

There’s some details about celebrities we just don’t know about until we walk into their homes. Did you know Drew Barrymore can play a killer drum solo? Or that Peter Saarsgard is a collage artist at heart? Now what if we added a layer of interactivity and give users the power to dress them, interact and even make these celebrities play their instruments or do art with simple clicks.

GAP 1969 / Interactive Stories - All in the Details

The story is all in the details. In this concept, we get a macro view of our Denim’s details to find miniature fashion forward people acting out different mini-stories that highlight the rivets, butterflies, etc in a very playful/emotional way. Hot spots will allow users to explore the environment, shop for products and get more information.

ZAMZEE / Online Experience + Visual Language

Zamzee is an online rewards program for kids ( ages 6-12 ) that’s powered by physical activity. Wearing the Zamzee meter records how active your are each day. Users can connect their Zamzee meter to a computer to view status, currency earned, and levels.



ZAMZEE / Site Experience - Female



ZAMZEE / Site Experience - Male






ZAMZEE / Interactive Maps & Graphs

The purpose of the maps & graphs is to track a user's progress through each level's world in a fun and engaging way - exposing hidden animations and rewards as they progress.

I worked with artist Elisa Sassi to create the maps, graphs, and icons for the site - turning a somewhat boring display of statistics into an entertaining and immersive experience for kids. The illustrations and animations would vary depending on the user, their current level, and rewards earned.

ZAMZEE / Graphic Elements

An entire visual system needed to be created for this online world. From iconography and color palettes, to animation styles and progress states.

MILLION VOICE PROJECT / Branding + Site Design

Million Voice Project is a non-profit initiative designed to gather and assess students' perception of their own education.




Million Voice Project / Visual Language

Since the target audience was fairly broad (students, teachers + administrators), we needed to come across as both casual + formal, while conveying excitement, accomplishment, fun and confidence in education. Much of the inspirations came from similar modern movements' freshened looks.

Tone: Positive, friendly, confident, aspirational, knowledgeable, fresh, exciting, human, accessible, progressive, empowering.

Million Voice Project / Site Design

In order to reach the wide audience who'd be visiting the site, I used color & illustration to speak to the younger audience, and order & clarity to speak to the teachers and adults.

Million Voice Project / Infographics

I Worked with artist Elisa Sassi and Vincente Montelongo to create infographics for the site to convey serious statistics in a friendly, light-hearted way.

SXSW MUSIC FESTIVAL / Press Coverage

Helped cover SXSW Music Festival for the MTV of Brazil - Programa Alto Falante (a Brazilian Music Publication + TV Show).


SXSW / Press Coverage

N.E.R.D.
Crystal Castles

Sonic Youth

Be Your Own Pet

Dan Deacon

Dizzee Rascal

Lou Reed

Tree Wave


Programma Alto Falante

REI / Interactive Product Experience

This digital experience aimed to get people interacting with the product where they should be: back in the dirt again.

The interactive map encouraged users to find a nearby adventure. Filters enabled real-time results based on date, difficulty, activity type, ratings and so on. User could build a trip, get supply lists, invite friends, and evenn create a photo album after their adventure.


LOCAL DIRT / Site Experience

MINI COOPER / Interactive + Experiential

Mini motorists are extremely dedicated to the Mini way of life. These interactive and mobile experiences give some of that love back with fun, utility and social behavior as its main attributes.



MINI iPhone App / Setup

Once customized to your reflect your unique MINI, the dashboard gives you a glance at car schematics, driving conditions, playlists, and more.

MINI iPhone App / Trip Generator

Plan trips or route errands based on gas, road conditions, time and motoring style. Personalized "racetracks" are created based on your preferences, playlist is created, and play by play directions are given along the way. Incoming calls can even go straight to speakerphone for uninterrupted motoring.

MINI iPhone App / Additional Features

Owners can also notify each other about available parking spaces, say hello with fun utilities, or leave voice memos attached to locations, reinforcing the sense of community.

MINI Carfun Footprint / User Experience

The digital campaign for MINI gave user's a humorous way to figure out not only their carbon footprint, but also the fun factor of the car they're driving.

PRICELINE / Social Media + Site Redesign


The Negotiator / Social Media Campaign

Interactive Campaigns for Priceline's Negotiator, staring the good ol' legendary Wil Shatner and his crew.

Priceline / Site Redesign

Site overhaul was intended to better structure information within the site and to create a digital visual language for the brand.