Testimonials

Krina Patel-Sage, 2023 Mentee

“I feel I was paired with an exceptional mentor who has many years of experience in the area of publishing relevant to me. We always have so much to discuss and her advice, encouragement and insight has been outstanding.”

Holly Ovenden, 2023 Mentor

“The mentorship has been such a rewarding & invaluable experience, I have enjoyed the opportunity to be a part of this fantastic initiative. Both my mentee and I have learnt key insights from one another and discussed developing ways of learning from past experiences and taking on new challenges.”

Ali Al Amine, 2023 Mentee

“Signing on to DPI has been one of the best decisions I made since graduating. I’ve noticed my confidence and skills grow in the 6 months since I’ve started my mentorship, and have taken all the lessons I learned from my mentor into my creative practice.”

Nico Taylor, 2023 Mentor

“The enthusiasm for positive change in the industry was a constant throughout my experience. It was great to support my mentee through a range of structured mentoring sessions and to collaborate more widely with the other mentors.”

Izzy Poulson, 2023 Mentee

“I gained valuable insight from the mentor about working in the publishing industry both as an in-house and freelance designer. The mentorship scheme has given me a lot more confidence in my own ideas and design skills which will be a good foundation for my further career.”

Becky Chilcott, 2023 Mentor

“Working with DPI has been fantastic – my mentee was perfectly matched and I felt supported well throughout the experience. DPI is doing vital work to help emerging designers gain a greater understanding of our industry and the tools, expert advice and experience needed to help them on their creative journeys.”

Kara McHale, 2023 Mentee

“I feel privileged to have been part of the first DPI Mentorship Scheme cohort. Through the guidance of my mentor, I have built the knowledge and confidence to push myself and to work towards my career goals. It has gone a long way to making me feel as though I belong in this industry.”

Micaela Alcaino, 2023 Mentor

“I have always been deeply passionate about mentorship, and it was a genuine honour to engage in mentoring alongside DPI. It is not only inherently rewarding but also holds considerable significance in our industry.”

Simon Michele, 2023 Mentee

“I was particularly impressed by how much the mentorship was tailored for me. We began by examining what I hoped to gain from our time together, which allowed my mentor to purposefully structure our sessions. We worked together to pinpoint areas where I hope to grow and discussed the best ways to achieve my goals. It also allowed a safe space to talk about dyslexia, classism and queerness, along with the future of diversity within publishing, from someone who has longer experience in the field.”