Brique par brique

About the project

Brique par Brique is a Montréal non-profit focused on building affordable housing and community spaces. Applied Archive Atelier developed a fundraising campaign to help them raise $5M toward a new community center — funded not through traditional donations, but through community bonds, where investors receive a percentage return on what they contribute.

The campaign concept centers on absence. Geometric overlays obstruct the faces of people in the imagery, creating an immediate sense that something is missing. The discomfort is intentional — it calls the viewer to act, to fill the space, to become part of the picture. The bricks reference the building itself, the organization's name, and the idea that every person in the community is a piece of something larger being built together.

The visual language is joyful and inclusive, reflecting the client's goal of inspiring people to show up as the best version of themselves. To bring that sense of action into the physical materials, the posters included tear-off tags — like a lost-dog flyer or a neighborhood notice — with investment information. It's a familiar, accessible format that made participation feel tangible and immediate, turning a campaign poster into a direct invitation.