Melanie M. Becker
OWNER | DESIGNER
After 13 years working as a marketing professional in real estate and architecture firms, I started Alley Squash, Co. to provide personalized service to small businesses and organizations in the architecture, place management and building industries. I offer a range of marketing and graphic design services tailored to creatives and development professionals who need the organization and management tools to help them grow. This includes more than just graphic design. With years of experience handling communications, public relations, and business development, I understand that successful marketing requires more than beautiful assets. I started my own business because I am self-motivated, organized and creative. As an entrepreneur, I am constantly inspired by the idea of alley squash - life is full of surprises and growth can be easy when the right elements come together. Let me help you grow your business!
Select Clients
Adams Morgan Partnership Business Improvement District
Ayers Saint Gross
Baltimore City Markets
Berd Construction Services
Bioenergy Devco
Common Resilience Partners
Cunningham | Quill Architects
Friendship Heights Alliance
GriD Architects
HxH Architects
Jonathan Ceci Landscape Architect
Landmark Commercial Real Estate
Mount Vernon Triangle Community Improvement District
Pipkin Creative
SB Works
Urban Land Institute, Washington Chapter
University of Maryland School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation
Upper Georgia Avenue Main Street
The Parks at Historic Walter Reed
The Urban Partnership
Val Hawkins Architect
Walnut Street Creative
West Annapolis Civic Association & Business Affiliation
What People Are Saying
“I have had the pleasure of working with Melanie on a couple of projects. The first time she re-designed my WIX website and was instrumental in creating a flow that was layered but still easy to navigate. She guided me in understanding aesthetics and choosing a look that met two goals: to have a kid-friendly feel while also exuding a calm, confident feeling for parents.
Melanie also designed a new website in Squarespace for a local business association which I head. Her guidance there was key in creating a “home” space that was simple, yet masterful in advising the best way to use the site as a marketing tool. In the end, we settled on a design that provides up-to-date information for consumers as well as business members - without overwhelming either. In both instances, Melanie’s knowledge for enhancing our digital presence with SEO was significant.
What sets Melanie apart from other designers I’ve worked with is her versatility and ability to seamlessly integrate various disciplines - and deliver outstanding results. She is proactive, a creative thinker, timely and reliable. I can’t recommend her enough!”
— Mary Ostrowski, The Drizzle Effect and the West Annapolis Business Association
“I hired Melanie to design a logo and website for my small consulting firm. She exceeded my expectations in every way. She came up with a visual design that fit me and my business perfectly, and the website is beautiful. I have been getting tons of feedback from colleagues about how great everything looks.”
— Kate Anderson, Unbounded Associates
“Melanie was a delight to work with in redesigning and relaunching my consulting business website (which was long overdue an update). She is clear-minded, organized, creative, and collaborative. She brought a lot of knowledge of the WIX toolset to the table. I really enjoyed the iterative process of creation with her; and the results speak for themselves. I have and will continue to refer her to colleagues.
— Anne Pellicciotto, SeeChange Consulting
“Working with Melanie Becker was a joy. She is organized, timely/prompt, and dedicated. She is gifted in graphic design and implementation, as well as seeing through piles of information in order to distill it into a compelling and beautiful graphic story.”
— Amy E. Gardner, FAIA, LEED AP
What is Alley Squash?!
In the fall of 2015, my little family of four made an exciting discovery. A wayward seed from the corner compost pile had sprouted behind our row home fence in Washington, D.C. We watched as tall leaves and thick vines wound their way around our back alley, wondering what could be growing amongst the trash when we noticed a perfectly formed butternut squash. It felt like magic. We came away with a dozen that fall; a bountiful harvest growing in the least expected place. We dubbed our find "alley squash."
I have always had a love of craft. For 10 years I learned the ins and outs of Adobe Creative Suite, working with architects in marketing, business development and graphic design.
I approach my work with creativity, an open mind, and a willing attitude. Contact me for more information on how we can work together.