Taylor Welden / Creative Director

Creative Director at Carryology.

Senior Editor at Carryology.

Softgoods, Hardgoods, and Apparel.

Classified project.
Details will be released when available.

As the Senior Editor of Carryology it was my responsibility to spearhead the unique collaboration project, Carryology's very first. I traveled to the Topo Designs headquarters in Colorado to meet with the TD owners, Design team, and Marketing teams to create this exciting Klettersack backpack design, inspired by the Carryology contributors and the Carryology community. Every unit of the production run sold out within 72 hours of the release. I also wrote about the experience and process on Carryology and helped coordinate the product release with the Topo Designs Marketing team.
FEATURES: Dimension Polyant X-Pac fabric, AustriAlpin Cobra buckles, YKK Zippers, Hi-vis "Carryology orange" nylon interior, Hypalon lash tabs, Internal sleeve fits most 15” laptops, Seatbelt webbing reinforced padded shoulder straps, Ballistic Black Cordura® back panel, Side water bottle/gear pockets.
ARTICLE 1: goo.gl/3SZupT
ARTICLE 2: goo.gl/CZWqx7
All photos copyright Topo Designs (topodesigns.com).

Redesign of Tiko's rolling luggage.

Classified project.
Details will be released when available.

Full-time in-house lead Industrial Designer / Product Developer for the new GEAR products division at Magpul. Sole designer of approximately 30 unique products (many yet to be released) in less than 21 months. Product conceptualization through to manufacturing and successful product release. Several products sold out due to demand within 1-2 weeks of launch. Heavily focused on welding polymer coated textiles (RF / Ultrasonic / Impulse). Created patentable technology (patent pending). Traveled to factories and material suppliers around the USA and in Asia to oversee prototyping and production. Daily communication with 5-10 factories at once, each specialized in their own manufacturing process/product category. Collaborated on trade show booth design (SHOT Show, NRA, etc). Social Media Manager of the Magpul Instagram account; responsible for creating photo concepts and some photography, product releases, and more. Systematically brought the Magpul Instagram account from a slowly shrinking 100,000 followers up to 350,000+ followers in less than 11 months, without the use of any paid account promotion or boosting.

Research, 2D concept ideation, refinement, prototyping/manufacturing, branding, graphic design, and design direction for a company centered around tactical packs and gear for military personnel, outdoor enthusiasts, and active civilian use. Travel to USA-based factory to work onsite, overseeing prototyping and production.

Design of custom luxury wood jewelry box and softgoods packaging. Ideation and refinement. Factory sourcing. Prototyping. Production.

Confidential project.

Collaborated with D:E / Design Edge (designedge.com) on the design and refinement of the HackShield Messenger, HackShield Backpack, and HackShield Wallet, with RFID-shielding technology and utilizing Fidlock hardware. Factory sourcing, communications, travel to Asia to oversee prototyping and production on-site at the factory, and more.

Material consultant for HELM's 100% USA-made boot collection. Suggestion of different US-made materials that are durable for footwear, affordable for production, and aesthetically fitting to the HELM brand. Sourcing of materials and suppliers.
Additional design of a classified product. Details to come soon.

Confidential project.

Working with the owner/founder of DSPTCH, I designed two military-inspired packs for the brand; the Ruckpack and the Slingpack. Initial concept ideation through to prototyping.

Design of a classified product collection. Traveled to The Philippines to work onsite at the factory with the company founder, overseeing prototyping and production.

Confidential project.

Working with the brand's founder and factory, I aided in refinement and prototyping for production of the Delireis backpack.

Design of a kitchen appliance.

2D concept ideation, product refinement to add value and increase positive user experience. Creation of factory tech packages for prototyping/production of several Eagle Creek products and collections.

Confidential project.

Confidential project.

Confidential project.

Collaborated with major camera bag manufacturer on design and specifications of an upscale camera bag collection as well as a prosumer camera bag collection. Concept through production.

Design of a hybrid backpack collection which combines the watertight and crushproof benefits of a Pelican hard shell case with the increased ergonomic comfort and ease of access of softgoods carry.

Design of an innovative hybrid backpack for urban bicyclists. 2D concept ideation, refinement, sampling, user testing, and prototyping for production.

Confidential project.

Design of a full-featured adventure backpack for international travelers.

Design of NFPA-approved Structural Firefighting Gloves.

Confidential project.

Confidential project.

Design of a classified ergonomically-focused business travel product collection.

Confidential project.

Design of two complete softgoods collections to accompany the launch of two new NISSAN vehicles specific to the Hong Kong market.

Full-time, in-house, Product Designer. Technology-based backpacks, packs, bags, cases, and more. Project Lead on a variety of product collections. Creation of Sustainable Materials Library for the company. OEM projects for DELL Computers. Established connections with multiple innovative material inventors. Daily communication with several international factories. Concept through production.

Design of an innovative premium wrist watch inspired by James Bond. Responsible for creation and organization of 4-person Industrial Design team. Design preparation for manufacturing. Concept through production.

Traveled to and lived in Tel Aviv for design of a classified product, working directly with the CEO of Shugon.

2D concept ideation, refinement, and creation of initial product direction for a company centered around tactical backpacks and gear for active military and civilian use.

Full-time, in-house, sole Product Designer. Development of camera bags and packs for consumer, amateur, and professional photographers. Designed, Refined, and/or Developed an estimated 30 individual products within 7 product families, in less than one year. International travel to multiple factories in China. Daily communication with multiple international factories. 3D CAD modeling. Human factors evaluation. Graphic Design and print media assistance. Design of international trade show booth layout, POP displays, Promotional products. Blog author. Concept through production.