By Denis, Communication Designer at Red Collar. Find more short notes on design, process, and studio life on X.

To me, mentoring is an exchange of experience. A mentor may have more practice, which helps them notice details a mentee might miss, but the exchange still goes both ways. People enter the field with different backgrounds, knowledge, and ways of approaching the work, so anyone can teach you something. Mentoring also gives you a clearer view of your own strengths and weaknesses. The moment you need to explain a decision, you discover which subjects you understand well and where you still need to find an answer. It tests not only what you know, but whether you can make that knowledge useful to another person.

Feedback needs an explanation

Comments alone are not enough. A note such as “this feels off” or “the contrast is weak” may point to a problem, but it does not explain the reasoning behind it. Without that context, the mentee may change the current layout without understanding what to look for next time. A mentor’s role is not limited to identifying an issue. It also involves sharing experience carefully, structuring the thought, finding a relevant example, and helping the other person understand how to approach the work. Over time, this makes your own communication more precise. You learn to explain an idea in a way that is shorter, clearer, and easier to apply.

What mentoring develops

Honest feedback requires empathy, especially when the work is not strong yet. You cannot simply say that a design is bad and end the conversation there. You need to understand the person in front of you and find a way to discuss the problem without making the feedback vague or dismissive. The aim is to create a conversation that remains useful and respectful for both sides.
 

Mentoring also teaches trust. At first, it can be tempting to control every step: ask for constant updates, check work before it is ready, and worry that something might go wrong. A more useful approach is to agree on deadlines and checkpoints, then leave room for independent work. If someone disappears for too long, that becomes a separate conversation. The structure stays clear, but the mentee still has space to make decisions and take responsibility for the result.
 

Patience is part of the process too. A mentee does not become stronger and more confident immediately, and progress can be difficult to notice while the work is happening. When you compare the starting point with a later result, however, the difference is often clear. Looking back makes development more visible and helps both people understand that the time and effort are producing a result.

Start with expectations

Before building a plan, it is important to understand what the mentee wants from the process and how they see the collaboration. Their expectations should shape the work, not just the plan the mentor already has in mind. Once there is a shared goal, it becomes easier to choose the topics, define the tasks, and agree on a realistic timeline. A clear plan gives the mentee context: they can see why each step matters and what it is meant to lead to – much like research gave our team a clear basis for the structure and design of the ADBRO website.
 

It also helps to ask for feedback regularly. The mentor needs to know what feels clear, what is missing, and where the process may need to change. These conversations build trust and help both people find common ground instead of moving through the work with different expectations. At the core of mentoring are openness and respect for the person who came to learn.