Mentorship

The Alphabettes Mentorship program has been so successful that we are overwhelmed by the many mentee applications. This is great, but also means that we need to stop accepting new applications for the moment, until we have processed the open requests. We are actually actively looking for new mentors. Over 100 mentees need YOU! Please consider sharing your experience with this wonderful, enriching community. Simply fill in the form below.

The Alphabettes Mentorship program aims to help people, especially students and professional newcomers, to immerse themselves in the industry.

  • Fill in our mentee form if you are looking for career, industry or educational guidance by professionals in the fields of type, typography, or the lettering arts. We will try to match you with a mentor who can guide you to achieve your goals. Use the form to let us know if you have a set date or a specific timeframe that you need us to consider.

  • Fill in our mentor form if you feel inspired to volunteer as mentor and are working as a professional or academic in the fields of type, typography, or the lettering arts.

Once you submit it, we will write back with further guidance on how to proceed. As we have a limited resource of volunteers, it takes time to process your application and provide you with a reply that suits your needs. We appreciate your patience.

For more details, read our FAQ and recent blog posts. If you have any additional questions, drop us an email at mentorship@alphabettes.org and we promise we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Read our latest blog posts and activity!

Tell me more…?

Alphabettes announced its mentorship program back in 2016 as one of its community outreach activities. It is a fully volunteer-based program with a fixed organisational team and a varying amount of international Mentors from different fields of expertise within the type community.

We continue to build a database of professionals willing to Mentor in the topics of type, typography, and the lettering arts. Mentors share their experiences and knowledge, and give guidance. We would like to emphasise that they are not expected to provide private tutoring or otherwise paid consultation for free. The aim of the mentorship program is to help especially students and professional newcomers to immerse themselves in the industry. It is open to everyone of any gender in our field, but we particularly welcome women and members of underrepresented groups. The bulk of Mentees asks for portfolio guidance and career or educational advice. Some people simply look for a sounding board or an opportunity to discuss type related topics and to understand how they can get more involved in the lettering and type communities.

Our intention is to make the best possible match and find an appropriate Mentor taking into account amongst other things location, Mentee’s goals, Mentor’s skill set, indicated duration, and conversation language. This process may take a while, as we have limited resources of volunteers analysing Mentee applications to understand their specific needs. Periodically we check in to ensure everyone is still happy with the arrangement and encourage both the Mentor and the Mentee to contact us if the relationship is not working for some reason. Recently we have also started to organise special Q&A online sessions for Mentors and Mentees with special guests, who share their experiences with the program and provide tips and advice. Please contact us to get access to the video recordings.

If you are looking for career, industry or educational guidance by professionals in the fields of type, typography, or the lettering arts, please fill in the form and we will try to match you with a Mentor who can guide you to achieve your goals. Use the form to let us know if you have a set date or a specific timeframe that you need us to consider. The same goes for preference of gender and we will do our best to accommodate your wish. The Alphabettes network is here to support and promote the work of all women in our fields, and so we will always pair a man with a woman in our matchmaking process. We also have many woman-to-woman pairs and support diversity across all genders.

If you feel inspired to volunteer as a Mentor and are working as a professional or academic in the fields of type, typography, or the lettering arts, please fill in this form.

If you have any questions, drop us an email at mentorship@alphabettes.org and we promise we will get back to you as soon as we can.

FAQ

How can I contact you?

Drop us an email at mentorship@alphabettes.org and we promise we will get back to you as soon as we can.

What will you do with my information?

We will keep the information you provide confidential but may share parts of it with potential mentors to find the right match for you. Please be patient, it may take a bit until you receive a reply.

Can I choose my mentor?

We will try to match potential mentees with a mentor who is best suited to their career goals. If applicants already have a specific mentor in mind, they will have the option to state her name in the form but we can’t guarantee she will be available. If the preferred mentor has to decline the request we will try to find equally suitable alternatives.

How often will we meet?

You and your mentor will work out together how frequently, and when, you will connect. It can be anything from a one-off session to quarterly, monthly, or even more frequent meetings.

Where do we meet?

That’s up to you and your mentor as well. Meetings can happen online or in person. Our volunteers are spread across the globe. Some of us are in type-congested areas such as London, Berlin, New York City or the Bay Area where face-to-face meetings can be arranged more easily.

Who is eligible to apply as a mentee?

Although the program is open to everyone in our field, depending on demand, we may give preference to underrepresented groups.

What does it cost?

The organisation of the mentorship is at no cost, but also at no liability.

What’s the difference between a mentor and a consultant?

The idea is to provide guidance by experienced type and lettering professionals. It is not to be confused with free of charge consultancy. If you require more extensive business consulting or expert knowledge, you are welcome to get in touch with individual professionals: