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/ MELINDA GORHAM-RODRIGUES // MELINDA GORHAM-RODRIGUES /

Melinda Gorham-Rodrigues
Art Director / Designer - Los Angeles


Yupp, I was born with a condition. I'm ambidextrous - a left brain/right brain thinker. And my background is just as hybrid as my head. I went to school for architecture and design, but ended up building online experiences instead.

Branding, virtual experiences, user interfaces, applications, and digital campaigns have been my thing since 2000. And more recently I've ventured into the land of transmedia storytelling, experiential advertising and branded content.

Outside of ad stuff I'm the second half of AUTISTA Art Collective and also run a clothing brand "For the Love of" in benefit of Cancer Research.


Contact / Resume


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/ MELINDA GORHAM-RODRIGUES // MELINDA GORHAM-RODRIGUES /

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 Moodboard





Homepage designs

The dimension given to the design makes it feel tangible, alive and most importantly, ready to be explored.The website is time-sensitive merging its aesthetic from morning to nighttime.

SEE THE ANIMATED SCENES
( click on the logo to go to the next scene )







Featuring Products







Visual Language
The stylized illustrations give the products personality inviting our audience to spend some quality time with the JELL-O brand.








Mobile Application
One of PlayLab's featured goodies is a downloadable iPhone app which includes games, tools, recipes + even a Jello-music maker.

The Playlab iPhone app also includes a LilShopper tool that let's kids scavenger hunt for ingredients while in-store.

GAP MERRY MIX IT
Gap wanted two things for Christmas: a cast full of celebrities and to promote holiday mixing and matching.

We've filmed a cast of 10 celebrities paired in every single combination possible and enabled the consumer to mix and match any possible celebrity combination to create a customized Christmas Video, which they were encouraged to send to friends and family as a virtual card.


SITE EXPERIENCE / Merry Mixed Carols
Watch the cast of celebrities perform classic Holiday songs, send customized greetings to friends, or shop their look.





SITE EXPERIENCE / Merry Mixer
Select which celebs you want to mix up to create the ultimate Holiday Video Greeting to share with friends and family.




SITE EXPERIENCE / Mix Don't Match



FACEBOOK



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.

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.

Target Video Lessons Dir. Jon Krisel from Melinda Gorham on Vimeo.

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.

Target Reality Check! Episode 01 from Melinda Gorham on Vimeo.

target coke back to college spot from Melinda Gorham on Vimeo.

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...

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 / Transmedia Storytelling Agency

Stories add true value. They’re our connection to this world and to our favorite brands. Stories are media-agnostic. They can weave they’re way into any shape and form - Stories are the common thread - Bringing fans, brands and content together.
 


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/ THE ALCHEMISTS /
~ Site Experience ~




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/ THE ALCHEMISTS /
~ Blog ~

BANANA REPUBLIC / Interactive Campaign + Branded Content

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



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/ CITY STORIES /
~ 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.





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/ CITY STORIES /
~ Branded Content ~

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/ CITY STORIES /
~ Rich Media Campaign ~

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








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/ CITY STORIES /
~ iTunes Integration ~

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

GAP 1969 PREMIUM DENIM / Branded Content

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.



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/ 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



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/ CELEBRITY DETAILS /
~ Interactive Environments ~

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.




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/ ALL IN THE DETAILS /
~ Interactive Stories ~

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 teens 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.



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/ ZAMZEE.COM /
~ Site Experience ~



~ Site Experience: Male ~





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/ MAPS /
~ Interactive Map Experience~

The map's purpose 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.




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/ ACTIVITY GRAPHS /
~ Interactive Graph Experience~

User's can also choose to view their progress using a graph that's customized based on the current level or world their in, as wells as the user's status.




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/ GRAPHIC ELEMENTS /
~ Interactive Visual Language~

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

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.




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/ MILLION VOICE PROJECT /
~ Logo Explorations ~










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/ MILLION VOICE PROJECT /
~ Site Design ~








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/ MILLION VOICE PROJECT /
~ Infographics ~

Worked with artist Elisa Sassi and Vincente Montelongo to create custom 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).


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/ SXSW - PRESS COVERAGE PHOTOS /

~ 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.



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/ LOCAL DIRT /
~ Site Experience ~

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.

MINI USA / Interactive + Experiential

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



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/ MINI IPHONE APP /

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



~ 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.



~ Additional Utilities ~
MINI 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.





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/ MINI CARFUN FOOTPRINT /
~ User Experience + Interaction Design ~

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 / Interactive Campaigns + Site Redesign

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



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/ THE NEGOTIATOR /
~ Social Media Campaigns ~




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/ PRICELINE.COM /
~ Site Redesign ~