Hector Silva is an industrial designer and educator committed to enhancing everyday interactions through innovative and thoughtful design. With experience in toy and houseware design, he is now exploring food design, examining our relationship with food from a chef’s perspective. As the founder of H Design, he has collaborated with leading brands such as Crate & Barrel, DesignLab, Nickelodeon, LeapFrog, Foster Grant, Insight Product Development, and Lund & Company Invention, helping entrepreneurs bring their ideas to life.

With over ten years of teaching experience, Hector has shaped industrial design programs at institutions like the University of Illinois at Chicago, the University of Notre Dame, the Academy of Art University, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Rochester Institute of Technology. His contributions to academia earned him the Young Educator of the Year award from the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA).

Passionate about accessible design education, Hector founded Advanced Design (AD), a nonprofit recognized with IDSA’s Special Achievement Award for reshaping traditional design education. Under his leadership, AD continues to connect students and professionals, fostering a vibrant design community. He also launched Offsite, a 10-week program, aimed at bridging the gap between academia and industry by providing students with essential skills and mentorship for career success.