Visiting Artist: Hector Silva

Friday, November 7, 2025 | NMU Art and Design Building
Communicating Your Ideas — 10 AM to 12 PM, Room 173 (Industrial Design Studio)

Portfolio & Beyond — 2 PM to 4 PM, Room 169

Northern Michigan University’s School of Art & Design and Innovate Marquette invite the community to a special visiting artist event featuring Hector Silva, award-winning designer, educator, and founder of Advanced Design and Offsite.

With over a decade of teaching experience at institutions including the University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Notre Dame, and the Rochester Institute of Technology, Silva brings knowledge about creativity, design communication, and professional growth.

The event will include two free lectures open to students and the public:

Communicating Your Ideas (10 AM – 12 PM)
Room 173 (Industrial Design Studio)

In this lecture, Hector will walk students through how to effectively communicate design ideas through sketching. He’ll demonstrate a variety of techniques and methods—ranging from quick ideation sketches to more refined visual storytelling—and explain when and how to use each one to strengthen your message. The session will also include hands-on demonstrations, allowing students to follow along as Hector shows how sketching can serve as a powerful vehicle for communicating form, function, and intent in the design process.

Portfolio & Beyond (2 PM – 4 PM)
Room 169

In this lecture, Hector will share insights from his personal journey as a designer and educator, offering practical advice on how to build a strong and authentic portfolio that reflects who you are as a designer. He’ll discuss strategies for reaching out to the right people, how to confidently put yourself out there, and common mistakes to avoid when showcasing your work or networking within the design industry. Drawing from real-world examples and firsthand experiences, Hector will provide an honest and grounded perspective on what it takes to stand out, make meaningful connections, and navigate the professional world of design with purpose and integrity.

🎟 Admission: Free and open to the public

About the Artist:

Hector Silva has over ten years of teaching experience at acclaimed industrial design programs, including at the University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Notre Dame, Rochester Institute of Technology, Academy of Art University and The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

His dedication to design education was recognized when he was named the Young Educator of the Year by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA). He also works as an industrial design consultant, running his own design studio, H Design. His passion for promoting design education led him to establish AdvancedDesign, a nonprofit organization. This initiative earned him the Special Achievement Award from IDSA. More recently, he has launched Offsite, an innovative online design school. Offsite is his experimental venture to bridge the gap between academia and industry, aiming to revamp the traditional methods of design education.