Max Philipsen

I'm a product design engineer who is keen on bringing new ideas to life! I am always ready to learn new skills which elevate my projects to the next level. I have an eye for detail and good experience designing and prototyping for metal fabrication, soft goods and plastics. A life goal of mine is to work in the automotive industry. Outside of work, my passions are making music, restoring cars and keeping an active lifestyle.

Avare Child Safety Seat

Every child deserves the right to be safe. Up to 6% of newborns are diagnosed with hip dysplasia. The primary form of treatment is a semi-permanent hip brace or cast that must be worn until they regain hip stability. These bulky hip braces prevent children from adequately fitting in child seats on the Australian market, leaving parents anxious when needing to travel with their child.
The Avare features first of its kind functionality. Adaptable lower side bolsters offer occupants space for their legs to assume a hip healthy position without compromising comfort or safety. This works alongside an adjustable crotch buckle that allows the harness to be correctly fitted to any child’s seating position. It can also return to a standard configuration to extend the life of the product beyond treatment alone. The Avare car seat is designed with accessibility in mind, to alleviate the struggles of travel during treatment and beyond.

Crown Card Printing Kiosk

At Neo Self-Service Solutions, I took part in the designing, prototyping and building of the next generation visitor kiosks at Crown Casino Melbourne and Perth. Designed to automate membership card printing and improve venue efficiency, the kiosks focus on a guided user journey, easy operation and servicing by staff. This was just one of many new and exciting projects I have worked on at Neo!

Country Road Golf Set

Designed for Country Road Home, the given brief was to expand their children's product range with a focus on immitative play while preserving the brand's iconic style. The set is designed for children 5-8, but is fun for all ages to play. Featuring high quality wooden components packaged in a miniature golf bag, this product fits in perfectly with Country Road's simple yet fun aesthetic. Lots of user testing was done with this one!

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.