Totem brings conviviality back into the workplace

Totem creates connected and personalized dining spaces directly within company offices.

Totem leverages corporate catering as a visible marker of a company culture that listens to its employees. Member companies have access to around 1,000 product options, ranging from apples to coconut curry dishes, which they can pre-order to stock their Totem micro-store.

The collaboration between Totem and Onepoint began in 2018, with a focus on refining their brand. Through co-design workshops led by Onepoint, the startup’s identity was honed, including the selection of materials, colors, patterns, and symbols.

Numerous full-scale prototypes were created in Onepoint’s FabLab to bring to life the furniture that would embody the brand’s values and give shape to the “totem” — a central gathering point around the coffee machine that hosts all of the startup’s food services.

The design phase led by Onepoint’s teams unfolded in three key steps:

• Product design through prototyping
• Creation of the graphic identity
• Production of photorealistic 3D visuals of the furniture

The product design and prototyping phase, led by Samuel Bernier, Head of Design at Onepoint, involved shaping the furniture concept using 2D technical drawings and 3D modeling on Autodesk’s Fusion 360. The aim was to provide a first glimpse of the “final” product and validate the concept.

At the same time, the teams explored different materials to be used in the production of the totem — balancing strength, lightness, and functionality.

The graphic identity was created with the support of Onepoint’s designers, who developed a visual universe including color schemes, icons, and characters that brought this connected piece of furniture to life.

The photorealistic 3D visuals of the furniture were produced by Thomas Voisin, 3D designer at Onepoint. Using 3ds Max, he delivered renderings that enabled Totem’s teams to clearly visualize the final design — helping to accelerate decision-making and move swiftly into production. These assets also became a valuable resource for the sales teams, who used them during pitches to prospective clients.

Building on the success of their first collaboration, Totem and Onepoint decided in February 2020 to continue working together. This time, the goal was to define the use cases and product design for an even more ambitious concept: the Totem micro-store.

Through a new series of workshops at Onepoint’s Parisian FabLab, six major modules were envisioned. By combining these modules, the result is clear: the convenience of a full-service cafeteria within the limited footprint of a simple coffee corner.

To define the overall design of this new unit, a technical design phase was launched. It focused on key aspects such as modularity and the object’s overall functionality — including restocking, waste management, and more.

Initial previews of the furniture were developed using both 3D and physical prototypes, built in Onepoint’s FabLab and the workshops of SADIM, the industrial partner selected for production.

With its folded steel sheet structure, recycled plastic worktops, and decorative aluminum panels, we succeeded in creating a piece of furniture that is nearly 100% recyclable.

As with the first prototypes, photorealistic 3D renderings were created at Totem’s request to generate various visuals showcasing the new model.

These high-fidelity visuals have proven to be a real asset with clients, as they allow the concept to be placed in virtual environments and demonstrate how the unit can adapt to different settings, illustrating a range of possible configurations.

In the final pre-deployment phase of the micro-stores, Onepoint optimized all 3D models for use with Apple’s ARKit, enabling Totem’s sales team to project modular setups directly into the premises of prospective clients through augmented reality.

Our clients and teams come together to innovate and create greater value — this is the seamless, end-to-end support approach we foster.

By combining the perspectives of experts across various design disciplines (product, graphic, 3D), we were able to deliver a tailored response to Totem’s challenges, enabling not only the successful launch of their product but paving the way for future developments as well.