Great Offices: a digital design agency’s ultra-playful King West digs
Great Offices: a digital design agency’s ultra-playful King West digs
By Frances McInnis | April 2, 2013
By Frances McInnis | 04/02/2013
By Frances McInnis | Photography by Derek Shapton
What: OneMethod, a digital design agency whose portfolio includes Wrigley, Moosehead, Nokia, Quiznos and Nestlé
Where: The early 1900s Krangle Building at King and Spadina
How Big: 5,700 square feet for a staff of 30
OneMethod launched a decade ago in Amin Todai’s Mississauga condo, where he and his partners took occasional breaks to make food or play video games. He decided then that the best offices feel like someone’s living room. Today, his agency operates out of a much larger space, but he strives for the same homey atmosphere and mix of work and play. By 5 or 6 p.m., for instance, there’s usually a boisterous foosball game going. Other signs of OneMethod’s casual ethos: stools made from recycled skateboard decks, Space Invaders characters decaled onto the staff lockers and a bike that employees use to cruise around the open-plan office. Todai himself is responsible for the full complement of giant plush toys—characters from The Simpsons, South Park and Family Guy —which are further evidence of his work-hard-play-hard philosophy. He won them all at the CNE midway.
201926 The office, which is on the second floor of a century-old building on King West, lacks a traditional reception desk (Image: Derek Shapton) Great Offices: OneMethod Great Offices: OneMethod https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-offices-onemethod-09-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-offices-onemethod-09.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-offices-onemethod-09.jpg 416 624 [] https://torontolife.com/city/great-office-spaces-onemethod/slide/great-offices-onemethod-09/ great-offices-onemethod-09 0 0
(Image: Derek Shapton)
201921 Amin Todai won the giant stuffed toys scattered around the space playing a basketball game at the CNE (Image: Derek Shapton) Great Offices: OneMethod Great Offices: OneMethod https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-offices-onemethod-04-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-offices-onemethod-04.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-offices-onemethod-04.jpg 416 624 [] https://torontolife.com/city/great-office-spaces-onemethod/slide/great-offices-onemethod-04/ great-offices-onemethod-04 0 0
(Image: Derek Shapton)
201927 The well-worn foosball table and the entrance to the staff lounge (Image: Derek Shapton) Great Offices: OneMethod Great Offices: OneMethod https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-offices-onemethod-10-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-offices-onemethod-10.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-offices-onemethod-10.jpg 416 624 [] https://torontolife.com/city/great-office-spaces-onemethod/slide/great-offices-onemethod-10/ great-offices-onemethod-10 0 0
(Image: Derek Shapton)
201916 The staff lounge features several eerie takes on Disney characters painted by Bryan Espiritu, a self-described “artist/designer/motherfucker” (Image: Derek Shapton) Great Offices: OneMethod Great Offices: OneMethod https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-offices-onemethod-intro-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-offices-onemethod-intro.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-offices-onemethod-intro.jpg 656 416 [] https://torontolife.com/city/great-office-spaces-onemethod/slide/great-offices-onemethod-intro/ great-offices-onemethod-intro 0 0
(Image: Derek Shapton)
201918 Todai helms the communal DJ booth from time to time, as does animator Shawn Pinnock, who moonlights as a club and radio DJ under the stage name P-Plus (Image: Derek Shapton) Great Offices: OneMethod Great Offices: OneMethod https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-offices-onemethod-01-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-offices-onemethod-01.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-offices-onemethod-01.jpg 416 624 [] https://torontolife.com/city/great-office-spaces-onemethod/slide/great-offices-onemethod-01/ great-offices-onemethod-01 0 0
(Image: Derek Shapton)
201922 The main corridor leading to the open work area at the centre of the office (Image: Derek Shapton) Great Offices: OneMethod Great Offices: OneMethod https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-offices-onemethod-05-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-offices-onemethod-05.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-offices-onemethod-05.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/city/great-office-spaces-onemethod/slide/great-offices-onemethod-05/ great-offices-onemethod-05 0 0
(Image: Derek Shapton)
201923 A wood canopy demarcating the main workspace was built for OneMethod’s old office in Liberty Village. Todai decided to keep it when the firm moved (Image: Derek Shapton) Great Offices: OneMethod Great Offices: OneMethod https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-offices-onemethod-06-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-offices-onemethod-06.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-offices-onemethod-06.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/city/great-office-spaces-onemethod/slide/great-offices-onemethod-06/ great-offices-onemethod-06 0 0
(Image: Derek Shapton)
201919 Team members take turns making meals for each other in the Scavolini kitchen. It’s where ex–design director Andrew Richmond started taco pop-up La Carnita (Image: Derek Shapton) Great Offices: OneMethod Great Offices: OneMethod https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-offices-onemethod-02-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-offices-onemethod-02.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-offices-onemethod-02.jpg 416 624 [] https://torontolife.com/city/great-office-spaces-onemethod/slide/great-offices-onemethod-02/ great-offices-onemethod-02 0 0
(Image: Derek Shapton)
201920 Todai’s friend Amir Aziz created the painting of American rapper Biggie in Todai’s office from a blown-up photograph (Image: Derek Shapton) Great Offices: OneMethod Great Offices: OneMethod https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-offices-onemethod-03-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-offices-onemethod-03.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-offices-onemethod-03.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/city/great-office-spaces-onemethod/slide/great-offices-onemethod-03/ great-offices-onemethod-03 0 0
(Image: Derek Shapton)
201928 A lead copywriter painted the mural in the main boardroom. It depicts various takes on the word “one” (Image: Derek Shapton) Great Offices: OneMethod Great Offices: OneMethod https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-offices-onemethod-11-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-offices-onemethod-11.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-offices-onemethod-11.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/city/great-office-spaces-onemethod/slide/great-offices-onemethod-11/ great-offices-onemethod-11 0 0
(Image: Derek Shapton)
201924 <em>Space Invaders</em> decals on the staff lockers (Image: Derek Shapton) Great Offices: OneMethod Great Offices: OneMethod https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-offices-onemethod-07-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-offices-onemethod-07.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-offices-onemethod-07.jpg 416 624 [] https://torontolife.com/city/great-office-spaces-onemethod/slide/great-offices-onemethod-07/ great-offices-onemethod-07 0 0
(Image: Derek Shapton)
201925 Another quirky detail: hangers inspired by an 8-bit cursor (Image: Derek Shapton) Great Offices: OneMethod Great Offices: OneMethod https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-offices-onemethod-08-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-offices-onemethod-08.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/great-offices-onemethod-08.jpg 416 624 [] https://torontolife.com/city/great-office-spaces-onemethod/slide/great-offices-onemethod-08/ great-offices-onemethod-08 0 0
(Image: Derek Shapton)