Dean Sweetnich

Dean is a human swiss army knife—a type nerd and illustrator with a killer eye for detail and a background in front-end development. He is the quintessential team player, bringing humility and discipline to every task.

Prior to joining Firebelly fresh out of college, Dean polished typefaces for Google Fonts, oversaw the design of Kent State’s poetry magazine, and interned at VSA. Since coming on board, he’s led web design for NowPow, Onward, GFOA, and Designing a Better Chicago; played with power tools in support of the annual Typeforce installation; and helped refine the studio’s visual language and communication strategy. His work has been recognized by Communication Arts and the International Society of Typographic Designers.

He has been called an Obsessed Perfectionist (a real undergraduate award!) and an absolute mad yoke (an Irish term of befuddled endearment bestowed by a former professor), thanks to his bottomless appetite for a job well done. From career panels to studio visits, he takes every opportunity to encourage young designers to go on and get weird and unusual.

Dean earned his BFA in Communication Design from Kent State University.