Gert Staal (1956) studied Dutch and art history at the Univeristy of Amsterdam and is currently working as researcher and publicist within the domain of design, architecture and urban design. He worked as a journalist for various newspapers, was deputy director of the Vormgevings Instituut (Design Institute), chief editor of Items, a Dutch design magazine, and until recently he was a member of the Raad voor Cultuur (Counsel Culture, an advisory board of the Dutch goverment). Staal has been working as a teacher at AKV St. Joost in Breda, and at DAE, and has contributed to various research-, education- and communication- projects.
Apart from these activities he has programmed seminars on design and acts as chairman at conferences on design. In 2010 he was appointed Senior Researcher of the Lectoraat (Professorship) Design Theory at Design Academy Eindhoven.