The National Black Canadians Summit has opted for an artistic rebrand in order to better connect with and mobilize youth.

The National Black Canadians Summit is an annual event organized by The Michaëlle Jean Foundation (FMJF), the eponymous nonprofit founded by Canada’s first Black Governor General. The event brings together more than 1,200 Black Canadians from across the country to discover inspiring local and national projects, participate in discussions and exchange resources, all towards the goal of building a more equitable and inclusive society.

The new, art-centric look is by Six Cinquieme, a strategic brand consultancy located in Montreal, which began working with FMJF in January and which took inspiration from the foundation’s statement that it firmly believe[s] in the power of the arts, explains Ashley Phillips, Six Cinquième co-founder and creative director.

To get the right aesthetic, the shop also collaborated with local multidisciplinary artist Franco E, aka Francorama, who commissioned his piece ‘Unreality of Time’ as the main artwork for the upcoming Montreal event.

As Phillips tells strategy, when the FMJF approached Six Cinquieme to develop the Summit brand identity, the organization made it clear they wanted to collaborate with a local artist.

“Promoting art is a strong value of the summit and the FMJF,” Phillips explains. “I instantly knew that Francorama would be an amazing fit because of how expressive, inviting and human his art is.”

According to Phillips, the work was a very collaborative process but, in the end, it really wanted the shop’s personal touch and Montreal style to be felt in the updated branding.

“All we knew is they wanted to include a Montreal artist in the main visual, so it felt like we had carte blanche,” Phillips notes. “That is what is wonderful about FMJF, they really believed in us and trusted our vision.”

Part of that vision included rendering the “NBCS” acronym in abstract shapes, all to create what Phillips calls a “window effect.” The versatile graphic element symbolizes the Summit as a window, door or pathway to justice, recognition and the development of Black Canadians.

As with the past success of previous summits, the fourth NBCS summit marks a new stage of growth for the FMJF, which brings in new expectations and goals that the organization really wanted to live up to with the help of a sophisticated new look, Phillips explains.

“I believe that because Montreal is such an artistic, diverse, bilingual city, this adds an additional complexity to the Black experience that they wanted to capture. It made it the perfect location and time to share a new look.”

As for other design elements, Phillips explains, as with any event focused on the demographic, it tries to avoid overused, stereotypical imagery and colour palettes.

“I believe this kind of look reinforces certain stereotypes and paints Black people as a monolith,” Phillips says. “Black events, organizations and brands deserve their own distinct identities that emphasize their unique values, goals and perspectives.”

The new brand/look is going to be disseminated largely through social media.

The next NBCS event will be held from January 31st to February 2nd, 2025, at the Palais des Congrès in Montreal.