What would be the proper way to do something like this? I've made a couple desks myself, but I've never been able to figure out a good way to do joints.
That said, a plywood deck that is glued and screwed down like a subfloor pretty much absolves all sins.
For most projects, glue & screw is fine. It's cheap and low effort. I use it in every utility project because speed > looks. I've never tested it, but I'm pretty sure that connection would be stronger than the wood itself.