Author Archives → Veronika Burian

Mentee Guide

Alphabettes mentorship program open until 20 december 2022

Thank you for showing an interest in the Alphabettes Mentorship Program. If you wish to participate your first step will be to fill in the Mentee application form. Here are some notes and recommendations we have put together for you. Following these tips will help us to better understand your goal and to find the best Mentor to guide you through the process of fulfilling it.

Key moments
01/12/2022: Applications open
20/12/2022: Applications close
February: Applicants are notified of the outcome and for successful ones, mentors and mentees are introduced.

Eligibility
After a few years of accepting anyone seeking to explore more the fields of type, typography, or the lettering arts, we have made the decision to close Mentee applications to men. We operate on a basis of trans inclusivity, and accept Mentee applications from all women and non-binary people.

Before you apply:

  • Please remember that our Mentors are professional experts who are willing to donate their precious time for you. The program is built to provide you with guidance and advice on a specific matter during a set period of time. It should not to be confused with private tutoring for educational programs or a free of charge consultation for commercial projects
  • Learn about the program from the available resources: read the FAQ, dive into our blog posts, watch our Behind the Scenes video to learn how the program works and watch the Showcase Party video to see how former Mentees described their projects and goals. Make sure you are well informed about how the program works, and in case you have any question, you guessed it, just drop us a note at mentorship@alphabettes.org
  • Filling in the form means that you are ready to actively commit your time as a Mentee for the upcoming term. If you are not sure you are up to it please hold off and apply to the following term

    • When you apply:

  • Make sure you introduce yourself as best you can. What is your background? What are your interests? Don’t be shy; the more you share, the easier it will be to find your best match
  • Be specific about the field in which you seek guidance. You can choose one from: Type design, Font production or Typography or Lettering
  • Within the field you have selected, clarify the topic of your project. You can choose one from: Portfolio & Personal projects, Education & Research or Career & Industry
  • When you describe your project and goals, be as specific as possible. Share your current situation and what it is you are missing. Expand on your needs and expectations of the mentorship program.
  • When you think about your project, keep in mind that the mentorship program runs for 3 months. The scope of your project should fit this timespan
  • Think about how a Mentor can help you accomplish your goal. How will you benefit from your Mentor’s guidance and advice?
  • Note that the more focused you are on what it is you are looking for the faster it is for us to help you find it! Think of your goal in the form of a brief, or a project. If you are unsure or struggling to articulate your goal, or have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact us before you fill in the form

    • Here is the 2023 Mentee application form
    We strongly suggest you start preparing your application well in advance and get in touch for any doubts or concerns. Spots will be awarded on a first-come first-serve basis, so be as ready and prepared as possible for the application opening day.

    After you apply:

  • You did it! We will get in touch in February to communicate the outcome of your application. If successful you will be asked to confirm your availability to us within a week. To avoid missing important and time sensitive communication, please make sure you whitelist our email address mentorship@alphabettes.org and check your email spam folder regularly.

    • Mentoring is a fantastic tool to empower others, grow confidence and new skills, and both our Mentees and Mentors have found the relationship transformative and fulfilling. We hope this has helped you with applying as a Mentee and we look forward to having you join us!

    Alessia, Eleni, Liron, Veronika and Shani

We need you!

Have you ever thought of becoming a Mentor with the Alphabettes Mentorship Program? Now is the time to jump into this rewarding and exciting experience. Simply fill in this form and wait to be matched.

Spring term just openend, and we are on the hunt for growing our pool of mentors.

  • Not sure you could be a mentor? If you are unsure you are a good fit to join as a Mentor send us message and we will chat with you about it. Most likely you ARE a great fit, and can really help making a change in people’s lives ❤️️
  • Worried about the commitment? If this is a busy time for you, you can sign up for as little as a 1 month program (about 4 sessions).Moreover, you get to decide with the Mentee your preferred method of communication: Zoom, email, Slack or a combination.
  • How is the schedule? The sessions are flexible in time and dates, and you set them with your Mentee in a way which will make it work for both of you.
  • Will I need to be a mentor forever? We have two annual terms: spring and autumn. After every term, we check in and confirm with you that you are happy to continue. However, if you feel like you need a break, you can always pause.
  • What if I’m not a type designer? We have so many topics that Mentees are seeking guidance on: research, education, lettering, font production, business, writing, typography. If you are in type, you can be a huge help.
  • Can only women be a mentor? Not at all! Everyone is welcome. Since Alphabettes is a network supporting woman, we centre a woman in every pair.
  • Want to hear more? We can send you a recording of a previous Q&A session we did for Mentors. Just email us!

    • We look forward to you!
    The AMP team,
    Eleni, Katy, Liron, Shani, and Veronika

    Alphabettes Mentorship Program opens new term

    mentorship program

    We are thrilled to re-open the mentorship program to new Mentees from around the globe. We especially welcome women and underrepresented groups. Applications for the Spring term can be submitted via the form between the 21 March and 4th April 2021.

    See some presentations of previous Mentees, have a peep behind the scenes, request access to the Q&A for Mentees, and more on the AMP blog and find FAQs and the application forms here.

    The AMP team is looking forward to receiving your applications.
    Eleni, Liron, Katy, Shani, and Veronika

    Mentorship showcase party recording

    A few weeks ago, in February 2021, we celebrated the achievements of the over 200 participants in the Alphabettes Mentorship Program.

    10 selected Mentees presented their projects that they had developed, advanced and critiqued within their mentorship in 2020. They included research and design of the Sharada script, guidance on structuring research material, exploring the personal lettering style, help navigating the business side of type, experimenting with the Gujurati script, digitising and preserving old Columbian metal street signs, turning intricate lettering into a typeface, reviewing a personal typeface, and developing a typeface inspired by Mexican price label cards found in food markets.

    For those who missed these awesome Mentees and their work, you can view them all in this video.

    Thank you to all Mentees and their fantstic Mentors whitout whose incredible commitment and time these wonderful results would not have been possible!

    More results and projects to come soon.

    The Alphabettes Mentorship Team
    Eleni, Liron, Katy, Shani, and Veronika

    Celebrating Mentees & Mentors

    alphabettes mentorship program

    Five years after the Alphabettes Mentorship Program’s (AMP) initiation, we thought it’s time to throw a (online) party! The achievements of the many wonderful people are certainly worth celebrating!

    We’d love to present all projects, but the roughly 200 are simply too many for one evening. So we decided to select a bunch of mentees from various backgrounds with different goals and challenges.

    The projects are developed, advanced and critiqued within their mentorship in 2020. Each of the mentees will have a short presentation to showcase their work and discuss their learnings, experiences and next steps. We very much look forward sharing these stories with you!

    alphabettes mentorship

    Additionally the opening dates for the 2021 AMP season will be announced and we keenly welcome feedback and new ideas for the program.

    Come and join us for the presentations on Zoom and then for socialising on Wonder. The party will take place on 21 Feb at 16:00 GMT. You can check starting time for your timezone.

    Please register at Eventbrite for details.

    We look forward to welcome you on the 21 February,
    Eleni, Katy, Liron, Shani and Veronika

    Happy gardening

    Zappa liked the cooling, crumbling concrete

    Actually I am not ‘the’ gardener, don’t have a green thumb nor the required patience…usually! 2020 was different. I discovered the joy of having flowers around and to take interest in rose slugs (sawfly) who were determined to eat all the roses I had planted. The little green patch in my yard had been a mess for years, waiting to be transformed. Well, this summer I finally had some extra time on my hands — thank you COVID-19 — and raised the motivation and energy together with my partner and we started buying plants, rose bushes, oleanders, lavender, hibiscus, bougainvillea, and others that I can’t remember the names. Continue reading →

    Call for mentors

    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 and enriching community.

    Simply fill in this form

    Thank you
    Alphabettes Mentorship Team

    First Mentees Q & A video meeting

    After a successful Q & A for mentors we organised a Q & A online session for mentees. Two previous mentees, Tatiana Lopéz and Samar Zureik, kindly shared their experiences and tips, and answered many great questions by the video participants, either new or current mentees.

    Those who could not be present, but are interested in the recording, please drop an email to mentorship@alphabettes.org to get access to the video.