About
The engineer I am now was built over time
The path runs from military service and art school to art direction, full-stack web systems, immersive defense R&D, Evidence.com, teaching, and modern product engineering. That history is not a side note. It explains how I work.
The through-line
Make the problem understandable. Then make the software hold up.
Before front-end developer was a settled job title, I was designing interfaces, writing JavaScript and PHP, working with MySQL and XML, producing motion and video, managing creative teams, and sitting with clients to figure out what the system actually needed to do. I even designed a poster and T-shirt for GWAR. The range was unusual, but the lesson was consistent: understand the audience and own the result.
General Dynamics added immersive 3D software, positional tracking, engineering data, training systems, and high-stakes stakeholders. David Allen Company and TASER added brand systems, full-stack delivery, media operations, and finished Evidence.com workflows. Modern product teams added React, TypeScript, testing, design systems, and the long life of a decision after launch. The through-line is still visible.
Four chapters
Different work. A recognizable pattern.
- 01
Early interactive practice
Interactive systems came first.
Art direction, studio sites, animation, PHP and MySQL applications, and front-end work taught me to treat visuals, behavior, data, and delivery as parts of the same system.
See the selected archive - 02
Studios, clients, and technical teams
The range widened.
The professional record spans studios, agencies, client teams, General Dynamics, and the U.S. Army. Those different environments broadened the work and made collaboration and calm execution part of the craft.
Review earlier experience - 03
Product engineering and leadership
The work became larger product systems.
At Grindr, Bridg, Bosch, Revenue.io, and Yubico, the focus moved toward operational interfaces, analytics, design systems, frontend modernization, team leadership, and software built to be maintained.
See professional history - 04
Current independent work
The threads now meet in the same products.
Current work combines product engineering with applied AI, geospatial systems, and audio software. The same attention to interaction, clarity, and craft now operates across full product systems.
Inspect current work
How people describe the work
The pattern shows up in other people’s words.
“Carl's experience, persistence, and (most of all) calm always saved the day.”
Todd Rimes, teammate
“Carl’s been a true mentor.”
Jason Conover, direct report
“Carl Welch is a rare breed of web expert. He has his left and right brain working in sync to deliver stellar web designs and functionalities.”
Jacob Tell, client
What I’m looking for
I’m most useful where product, interface, and engineering decisions meet.
I’m looking for senior product engineering work where interface, product, and technical decisions cannot be separated: complex workflows, design systems, applied AI with clear limits, or software that has to earn a user’s trust.