Harley Earl world's first car designer

I have read recently an article on Car Magazine about the myth of Harley Earl. The first innovator, visionary, the world's first car designer and inventor of modern America.

Harley Earl entered the relaunched family business in 1908 the "Earl Automobile Works" and in 1919 the Los Angeles Times noted his spectacular bodyworks at the local Autoshow. Soon actors like Tom Mix and Fatty Arbuckle became his major clients. Later on he went to work for GM creating the first Styling Departement and changing the vision and perception of World's Automobiles. He is the father of the Corvette and has been the first to force technological innovation to obtein "sexy cars shapes".

He was inspired by a lot of different sources (like planes) and soon understood that people would not buy cars just for moving, but mostly for their look. The dream of sculpting cars giving to them personality and sexy appeal became very popular and Earl was capable to influence advertising, too. The consumistic american society started to express itself thanks also to new GM Earl Design, he understood the importance of Women taste.

In 1934 he renamed his Departement inventing a new word "Styling". So the Art & Color studio became the Styling Departement and for the first time a real car design team was established with a main objectif: invent "dream cars".
I believe that all car designers should know Earl's story to better understand their role in society, to understand that without "emotions" it is hard to make good Design, if we do not provoke "the magic effect" we do not help this world to be a bit happier.
Photos and info Via: www.carmagazine.co.uk september 2013 issue

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