Industries · Nonprofit and cultural · Toronto
Design and video for nonprofit and cultural organizations
852 Tangram makes brands, posters and print, websites, photography and film for nonprofits, community events, film distributors and exhibitions. We plan each piece around the date you cannot move, the people you need to reach and the budget you have. Based in Toronto.
- Event brands
- Posters and print
- Websites
- Event photo and video
- Film and animation
- English and Chinese
Stage banner, print file01The challenge
One date, many audiences, a small team
Cultural and community work usually runs on a fixed date and a small team. The same event has to speak to visitors, members, donors, sponsors and press, often in more than one language.
- A date that cannot move. A screening, a festival weekend or an exhibition opening happens once.
- More than one audience. Donors, members, sponsors and visitors each need something different from the same event.
- Two languages, one voice. When your audience reads English and Chinese, both versions have to sound like you.
- Work that lasts past the day. Photos, video and files should still be useful for next year's appeal or season.
02What we make
From the first poster to the last photo
| Piece | Used for | From our work |
|---|---|---|
| Event brand and mascot | A market, festival or screening that needs its own brand | Assembly Market 吹雞, Markham Museum, 2023 |
| Posters and print | Film releases, lawn signs and stage banners | Illume Films releases; Assembly Market |
| Websites | Event information, film listings and ticket links | Illume Films website, built and maintained by us |
| Event photo and video | Premieres, screenings and community events | Illume Films premieres; Assembly Market |
| Film, animation and scripts | Exhibitions and donor appeals | Casa Loma exhibition film; a library video and its bilingual voiceover scripts |
03Selected work
Proof from our own records
Illume Films · Hong Kong cinema in Canada
19 films with Illume Films.
Illume Films brings Hong Kong cinema to Canadian screens and has been our client for three years. We have worked on 19 of its films, from posters and print for North American cinemas to photo and video at premieres. We also built the distributor's website and keep it up to date. On one release, we matched the date digits on the poster by measuring 26 Chinese typefaces before replacing them.
Premiere galleries
A premiere screening, photographed by 852 Tangram.
Reflections & Refractions 港·映 · University of Toronto · with Illume Films
A charity screening day for a university library.
On 22 March 2026, three films screened at Innis Town Hall for the Richard Charles Lee Canada-Hong Kong Library at the University of Toronto, with Illume Films. Donors give to the university, so tickets and donation receipts ran on separate rails. We took the distribution sponsor's seat and did not bill the day. Later, we wrote the bilingual voiceover scripts and made the library's video.
Film posters at Innis College on the screening day.
Assembly Market 吹雞 · Markham Museum · October 2023
A pro bono brand for a community market.
A two-day outdoor market at the Markham Museum on 7 and 8 October 2023, under the theme "You Are Not Alone". We made the brand pro bono. We turned the name 吹雞, blow the whistle, into the mechanic: a 3D whistler-chicken mascot and an Instagram AR effect you trigger by blowing into the phone. 8,500+ visitors came over the two days (organizers' count). Six weeks later, the same organizing side hired us for a paid brand build for Kaleido, a Hong Kong culture hub in Richmond Hill.
The 3D whistler-chicken mascot.
The Instagram AR effect.
Lawn sign, directional version.
Powering Progress: Toronto's Electric Revolution · 5 January to 5 February 2026
An animated film for a Casa Loma exhibition.
The company that operates Casa Loma commissioned a short animation about Toronto's electrification, for an exhibition with Toronto Hydro. We made it in 2D and 3D mixed media, with a storyboard, sound design and two revision rounds.
A frame from the exhibition film. Some stills in this film were made with AI assistance.
Also for cultural and community organizations
- The Theatre Centre, Toronto. Event photography for live comedy nights, including the Comedy Is Art. Festival, from 2023 to 2025. Comedy Is Art. Festival gallery
- Unionville BIA. A photo booth and event photography for the Mid-Autumn Festival and Ladies Night on Main Street Unionville, from 2023 to 2025. Unionville galleries
04How we work
Four steps, from brief to archive
- 01Start from the date and the peopleWe list who needs to be in the room, what each group needs to see, and the dates nothing can move past.
- 02One idea, carried everywhereOne idea runs through the name, the poster, the signs, the posts and the stage. For Assembly Market, it was the whistle.
- 03Keep tickets and donations apartWhen donations are involved, we keep tickets and donation receipts on separate tracks, so receipts come from the organization that can issue them.
- 04Make it, then hand it overBrand, print, web, photo and film from one team, in English and Chinese where your audience needs both, delivered as files you can use again next season.
05Fit
When we are a good fit
- Nonprofits and charities planning a fundraiser, screening or launch
- Festivals, markets and community events that need a brand, print and signs on site
- Film distributors, exhibitions and venues that need posters, video or a website
- Organizations whose audience reads English and Chinese
06Questions
Frequently asked questions
Do you work with nonprofits and cultural organizations?
Yes. Our work includes a charity screening for a University of Toronto library, a community market at the Markham Museum, 19 films with Illume Films and an exhibition film for Casa Loma. We agree a written scope with you before work starts, so you know what you will get.
Can you work in English and Chinese?
Yes. We have made bilingual voiceover scripts, posters and event materials for Hong Kong Canadian audiences. Tell us which languages your audience reads, and we plan every piece for each language from the start, instead of translating it at the end.
How do you handle tickets and donations for a charity event?
We plan them as two separate steps. At the library screening, donors gave through the university, which issues the tax receipts, so tickets and donation receipts ran on separate rails. The organization that is allowed to issue a receipt keeps that job, and the event side stays simple.
Do you photograph and film events?
Yes. We photograph and film premieres, screenings and festival nights, and we can also make the poster, signs and website for the same event. What you receive, and when, is set out in your written quote before the day.
How do we start?
Send us the project, the date, who you need to reach and any files you already have. We reply with questions and a written scope before any work starts, so you can see how we work before you commit.
Planning a screening, festival or appeal?
Send us the date and the brief. We will reply with questions and next steps.