Harley J. Earl (November 22, 1893 – April 10, 1969) was the initial designated head of Design at
General Motors, later becoming Vice President, the first top executive ever appointed in Design of a major corporation in American history. He was an
industrial designer and a pioneer of modern transportation design. A
coachbuilder by trade, Earl pioneered the use of freeform sketching and hand sculpted clay models as
automotive design techniques. He subsequently introduced the "
concept car" as both a tool for the design process and a clever
marketing device.