Whenever the folks over at the Montreal-based strategic brand consultancy Six Cinquième are up to something, they have my attention. I have long been a fan of what founders Ash Phillips and Miro LaFlaga have built and continue to cultivate at Six Cinquième, ever since I first interviewed the creative power couple back in 2022. Phillips and LaFlaga center diversity and their Black perspectives in their work and mission, partnering with like-minded clients such as Negro Community Centre in Montreal, Masla Empathy Lab, and the media company Westbrook. As a continuation of these ideas, Phillips and LaFlaga recently teamed up with Harry Julmice and Joanna Chevalier of the community-based creative company Never Was Average, with support from the Bureau du design de Montréal, to develop a framework called “In Perspectives.“
“In Perspectives: An Actionable Approach to Value Under-Recognized Perspectives in Design Through Intentional Conversation” was created as part of a larger initiative known as the Quality Toolkit, which helps design professionals center inclusion in their practice in day-to-day application. “In Perspectives” is the culmination of a year-long collaboration between Six Cinquième and Never Was Average, in which the two organizations invited BIPOC designers and non-designers to meet and discuss their relationship to design in a two-day workshop. The guide and video interviews that make up In Perspectives are the results of those contributions.
How do we make the industry care, even if it doesn’t share or fully understand the lived experiences of under-recognized communities?
Harry Julmice, Never Was Average
LaFlaga, Phillips, Julmice, and Chevalier elaborate on the important work they spearheaded with “In Perspectives” and their aspirations for diversifying perspectives in the design world beyond Montreal below.
(Interview lightly edited for length and clarity.)
What was the genesis of “In Perspectives”? What steps did you all take to go from idea to action?
(NWA’s Harry Julmice and Joanna Chevalier): As founders and designers moving through spaces where the majority doesn’t share our identities, we noticed a recurring pattern: lived experience, especially from under-recognized communities, was treated like an afterthought in the design process. At best, it was referenced. At worst, suppressed. And we asked ourselves: What would design look like if those lived experiences weren’t just included, but centered? That question became the foundation for In Perspectives.
The genesis wasn’t academic, it was personal and collective. It started with an open conversation between Ashley, Joanna, Miro, and me. We compared our journeys; where our experiences aligned, where they diverged, and, most importantly, how the design industry consistently undervalued us. We laid our stories side by side, and saw a process that repeatedly invalidated the knowledge carried in our bodies, our communities, and our work.
We looked back at previous initiatives across other industries to identify recurring gaps. We saw a pattern of invalidation, one we believed could be disrupted through intentional conversations. So we invited collaborators from our network, not to check a box or add optics, but to deepen our process. We launched an open call to our community, not to extract perspectives, but to invite co-creation. And the community responded with honesty, complexity, and the kind of clarity only lived experience can offer.
From there, we merged NWA and SC’s design approaches with the new insights gathered from our research. We prototyped, we debriefed, we iterated. What emerged wasn’t just a tool; it was a mindset. An alternative. A cultural offering. A new model built to drive vertical inclusion of diverse communities across every layer of the design industry.
What emerged wasn’t just a tool; it was a mindset. A new model built to drive vertical inclusion of diverse communities across every layer of the design industry.
Harry Julmice & Joanna Chevalier, Never Was Average
LaFlaga (Six Cinquième): The biggest word in this project is collaboration. That was the most important step we needed to take to move from idea to action. Never Was Average are leaders of intentional conversation and initiative design, while Six Cinquième are leaders of inclusive design. Our expertise blended naturally, and thanks to our shared experience, we were able to put many theories into practice and validate many assumptions.
This collaboration goes beyond just our two entities, being surrounded by the right professionals to strengthen the project. We sought out outside experts to help challenge and inform us. Whether it be DEI specialists like Masla Empathy Lab or psychologists like Régine Tardieu-Bertheau, these components helped us ensure we were moving in the right direction and were able to take action.
What were some of the main challenges you faced in assembling “In Perspectives”?
Phillips (Six Cinquième): One of the main challenges was figuring out how to address the many needs and concerns raised throughout our two-day workshops and conversations. Many experiences were shared by Montreal’s underrecognized community members and designers from all disciplines. Everyone’s input was valuable, valid, and deserving of being heard. We were left with an overwhelming number of possibilities to explore.
How could we make sense of it all, taking everyone’s experiences into consideration to create a resource that both improves the design industry and serves the community?
We had an amazing team present during the workshop, and were fortunate to collaborate with strategist Ingrid Enriquez-Donissaint, who played a major role in our reflections. She helped us filter through the many insights shared and identify how the In Perspectives approach could plant the seed to address the recurring, interconnected challenges brought up by the community: a lack of access, representation, and understanding of underrecognized experiences in the design process.
Julmice (NWA): One of the first key challenges we faced was mindset— figuring out how to shift the industry’s perspective to see design through our lens. It meant moving from universalism to intersectionality, and asking: How do we make the industry care, even if it doesn’t share or fully understand the lived experiences of under-recognized communities? Another challenge was balancing practicality with theory. We had to find the sweet spot between depth and accessibility. These concepts can be difficult to translate from idea to execution, so our goal was to build something easy to implement but capable of driving high-level impact.
And finally: authenticity without generalization. How do you create something that speaks to diverse communities without flattening their identities into a one-size-fits-all solution? How do you empower someone to design for a community they don’t belong to, without turning it into a performative act? Those questions pushed us to build with care, not just for representation, but for responsibility.
In an ideal world, what impact does “In Perspectives” have on the Montreal design industry and beyond?
Phillips (Six Cinquième): In an ideal world, In Perspectives, along with its proposed mindsets and approach, becomes a natural reflex for designers everywhere. Yes, it started in Montreal, but from the very beginning, we had greater ambitions for it.
To me, the approach has always felt like common sense, a natural way of thinking. I believe there’s a willingness within the industry to adopt this mindset, but there’s still a long way to go when it comes to activating it and turning it into concrete action.
I believe there’s a willingness within the industry to adopt this mindset, but there’s still a long way to go when it comes to activating it and turning it into concrete action.
Ash Phillips, Six Cinquième
In Perspectives doesn’t just outline the mindset needed for more inclusive design; it’s also actionable and easy to integrate into practice. Still, despite being a simple shift in the design process, what’s missing is the willingness to apply it consistently. The approach isn’t complicated, but it does require commitment to stick with it.
It’s like going for a walk every morning to stay healthy; simple in theory, but it’s the consistency that makes the real difference. That small yet powerful commitment can create a broader impact beyond the design industry. It allows our world and systems to be designed with diverse experiences in mind, with lasting effects on people’s physical, mental, and environmental wellbeing.
Chevalier (NWA): Even though this was originally designed with the Montreal design industry in mind, it’s really about something bigger. At NWA, we’ve been working across so many different spaces, from art and film to wellness, real estate, nonprofit organizations, etc., with folks in all kinds of roles. So this approach isn’t limited. It’s for anyone building something, whether it’s a project, an initiative, or an experience for a community they’re part of, or one they’re not. The impact always shows up in the work, whether you’re a designer, a community organizer, or a VP at a company. When you take the time to step outside your comfort zone and really listen to the people your work is meant to serve, the outcome becomes more honest. More grounded. More real. Whether you realize it or not.
When you take the time to step outside your comfort zone and really listen to the people your work is meant to serve, the outcome becomes more honest. More grounded. More real.
Joanna Chevalier, Never Was Average
A personal example: while we were developing this project last year, I was also collaborating with a cultural and community centre in a neighborhood where the community is historically marginalized and often in survival mode. At the same time, I was taking part in a training on how to hold therapeutic space for people navigating those kinds of conditions. And it hit me, because I come from that kind of neighborhood too: If you’re not intentionally going out of your way to understand what life is like for people living outside the margins, you risk creating something that feeds your ego more than it drives real change. And once you’ve heard those perspectives, you can’t unhear them. You start to feel it in your body when you’re out of alignment with what people truly need.
Personally, what aspect of this project are you each proudest of?
Chevalier (NWA): I’m proud to have created something with the people who actually do the work. Everyone brought something meaningful to the table, but the moment that stands out for me is getting to direct the video series. It was important that everything felt aligned from how we applied our approaches to showing that they actually work, by inviting four designers to share their own ways of working and how conversation plays a role in that. Honestly, I’m just proud that this resource is free, open for anyone to use, to share, and to build on. Because this is only the beginning.
LaFlaga (Six Cinquième): There are so many aspects I’m proud of. Getting to work with friends (Never Was Average) is one of them. But beyond that, I’m proud of the conversations this work is sparking.
The approach we’re presenting isn’t new. Communities worldwide practice this daily, and it’s important to acknowledge that. What we are doing is pushing the conversation further and introducing a new perspective to those who’ve never seen design this way before.
What excites me most? The discussions that are unfolding in my own circle. Seeing people question their relationship with design or have their perspectives challenged because of In Perspectives. These are the moments I truly cherish.
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