We’re not shy about our love for the Montreal-based strategic brand consultancy Six Cinquieme at PRINT. Helmed by co-founders Ash Phillips and Miro LaFlaga, Six Cinquieme is on a critical mission to diversify the design world, and intentionally works with clients aligned on that imperative. You’ve likely seen their stellar branding work for Montreal’s The Centre for Canadians of African Descent. Today, we’re uplifting the duo’s recent project for a Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) consultancy.
Formerly known as Bindia Savaria Consulting, the newly dubbed Masla Empathy Lab looked to Six Cinquieme for a much-needed brand identity reflecting the important work engendered by their founder, Julie Savaria. When Savaria approached Phillips and LaFlaga, she was operating as a solo facilitator and desperately needed help separating her personal brand from the work of her business. Phillips and LaFlaga licked their chops and rolled up their sleeves, eager to take on the project.
Turning JEDI [Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion] consultancy work into a creative lab where people feel welcome, get to explore and learn rather than dread or feel intimidated by serious and sometimes difficult conversations.
Ash Phillips, Six Cinquieme
Six Cinquieme works intimately with their clients throughout their creative process, and this project was no different, starting from the development stage. “We worked closely during our collective brainstorming and workshop sessions to uncover Julie’s unique background and pulled from that to build the brand,” said LaFlaga. “Many references to Julie’s heritage, educational background, approach, and overall personality were made to create an authentic brand.”
Savaria’s Senegalese heritage, her light approach, the nature of her JEDI work, and her biochemistry background all directly influenced what Six Cinquieme created. The team landed on the Wolof word “Masla,” which means “To be diplomatic, to respect others, to find a better way to communicate, to have some tact.” This term harkens to Savaria’s cultural background and encapsulates the essence of the organization’s mission — fostering human connection and co-creating paths toward Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.
They also opted for the warmth of “Empathy Lab” over “Consultancy,” evoking the experimentation and exploration associated with a lab, and the importance of empathy inherent to JEDI practices.
One of the challenges Six Cinquieme faced from the brief was finding a graceful marriage between reflecting Savaria’s jovial personality and establishing credibility for the brand in her clients’ eyes. “With Julie’s clients being very corporate for the most part, one of the main challenges was finding a balance that could speak to her audience and make them take her brand seriously, all while inspiring a certain lightness and excitement to do the hard work that it takes to embody JEDI practices,” explained Phillips. “Turning JEDI consultancy work into a creative lab where people feel welcome, get to explore and learn rather than dread or feel intimidated by serious and sometimes difficult conversations.”
The visual identity Six Cinquieme ultimately created embraces minimal yet eye-catching iconography paired with a complimentary modern typeface. They developed icons to represent the four keys to JEDI, each drawn with rugged lines to create an organic, imperfect look that still feels carefully considered. The shapes stack in a satisfying configuration to symbolize balance and building together (the organization’s core values). These icons are also intentionally flexible and meant to be adapted and repositioned depending on the use case. The primary typeface is a sans serif that is also deliberately imperfect to harmonize with the style of the icons.
Phillips and LaFlaga are rightfully proud of what they’ve created for Masla Empathy Lab, which will help propel Savaria to even greater heights. “As much as we are proud of our own work on the project, we are very proud of our client!” added Phillips. “Seeing the growth, confidence, and transformation that the rebrand has helped highlight is always a win for us. Now a certified B Corp, we can’t wait to see how Masla Empathy Lab will continue to grow and create meaningful impact in the world.”