Josh McShanag

Industrial Design

Hello! My name is Josh McShanag. I am a 22-year-old Industrial Designer. I enjoy all facets of design which is what has led me to enjoy the scope of projects which Industrial Design has to offer. I have always been interested in how design affects people directly and indirectly throughout their daily lives. Seeing both the positive and negative results of design, I have always strived to design products that help people in any way possible and provide them with little moments of joy every day.

My experiences at uni have been sparse. Starting my course in 2020 saw my university education be confined within my own four walls as it gradually expanded out to the amazing collaborative experiences I have with me now. Whether it be group projects, completing a design challenge in Korea with my peers, or just talking shop with my teachers and friends it has become clear to me that collaboration is the heartbeat of a great designer. It has only helped my projects grow in strength at uni.

In that regard, moving forward I want to gain as much experience in as much of the industry as possible. If I ever want to be a great designer I am going to need to collaborate with as many talented designers as I can find. That is the next chapter which I am looking forward to.

Meet Flex Desk

Flex Desk presents itself as a mobile workspace, providing a familiar and tactile working environment that can provide a sense of privacy, pin up your notes, and be folded up into an easy-to-move work folio for your laptop and other essentials.

Everything at your fingertips

When unfolded Flex Desk is a comfortable 400mm x 600mm desk mat. Easily catering to any laptop, book, and stationary this is a very usable and tactile working environment. Not only that, but featuring 3 magnetic cord organisers you can keep your space neat and secure when on the move. Furthermore, this is YOUR space, YOUR layout, and not just a blank desk.

Your Space in your style

As Flex Desk is made of two seperate folding vinyl layers connected together there is the option for customer customisation. It is the way that YOU work after all. Whether you are a uni student, part time office worker or professional business operator there is a style for you.

What do you bring to the table?

One of the main pain points with concepts such as 'working-from-home' and 'hot-desking' is that it is a lot to set up and then put away. Often when at home the latter gets ignored. To address this issue Flex Desk folds up into an A3 sized folio. This allows you to keep all of your essentials such as laptops, books, cords and more in one good looking package and you can pack that all away in 60 seconds. Not to mention you can then take that package anywhere

On the move

Flex Desk also offers a selection of carry attachments such as: handles, tote straps and satchel straps. This means you can bring along whatever you want however you want.

Acknowledgement of Country

The School of Design and Architecture respectfully acknowledges the Wurundjeri peoples of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners and knowledge-keepers of the lands, waters and sky that surround us, where we work, learn, create, communicate and make place. We recognise that sovereignty has never been ceded and this always was and will always be Wurundjeri Country. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who continue to make a better world through design.

We extend our acknowledgement to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, students, alumni, real-life clients, and knowledge keepers, who have contributed to our own education diversity and growth. We will continue to ensure that staff and students respectfully honour ancestral connection to Country and Place in everything that they do.

We are dedicated to the notion of design to make a better world and we acknowledge that making tools, shaping place, sharing stories, making meaning, wayfinding and collaborating have long been and continue to be both central and integral to First Peoples' cultures. We recognize that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ cultural contributions have continued relevance to design practice and commit to: reconciling ancestries of design and contemporary practice as well as pursuing culturally and professionally appropriate ways to engage with a diverse population of colleagues, industries and clients. In a time of treaty-making and voice we understand that there are overlaps between caring for Country and the sustainable production of goods, services, experiences, products and buildings.

Guided by the principles of respect, reconciliation, and reciprocity we undertake to indigenising and decolonising design practice by dismantling colonial structures and challenging biases that have marginalised Indigenous voices and design.

As students of SoDA you will be given opportunities to both engage with and educate yourself in Indigenous creative practices and cultural protocols through a lens of inclusivity, diversity, respect, mutual understanding, inter-cultural dialogue in all aspects of design practice. Indigenous people have been telling stories, making tools, and connecting to Country through visual media, placemaking and place marking for more than 60,000 years and these practices are part of an ongoing, evolving and live tradition.