New Ohio License Plates design FAIL
If I gave crayons to a ten year old, I’d probably end up with a better looking license plate than the new “Beautiful Ohio” plate design that I just saw for the first time this afternoon.
Not only is it busy beyond belief- but the text is unreadable- and even the State name is difficult to read.
If we’re looking to be viewed as a forward thinking high tech State- would a wind turbine and a solar roof be more appropriate? Never mind the Wright Flyer has nothing to do with our industrial base or skill set.
There has already been blowback about the attempt to sell these plates for a $2.50 premium in tough times.
What bothers me most is that Ohio has recently completed a new branding campaign with a very modern, clean look:
This is legible and looks professional, It’s also only 3 colors- making it less expensive to produce.
Why it’s not an option to put on our plates is a mystery to me- we’ve got plates for almost everything else.
What is your opinion of the new plates- and the State tagline and new mark?
Are we the “State of Perfect Balance” (except for our budget). Or we’re we better off as “The heart of it all”?
Either way- I prefer the new O logo to anything I’ve seen in the past.
UPDATE: November 2011, Columbus College of Art and Design students have redesigned the Ohio plates- I’ll finally be asking for new ones next year>
personally, i just want simple, clean license plates with strong typography and no imagery…
David – I agree with you. You are right… the new plate sucks!!
In other news, the National Weather Service has just reported that Hell has frozen over!!! :)
Seriously, it does suck. It really makes it look like Ohio is nothing but big rolling farmland with an Amish look about it. This will just further reinforce the stereotypes about Midwestern states. (Yes, I know that there’s a lot of farmland in our state and that ag is huge component of our economy, but there are still stereotypes about our residents.) I didn’t even realize until I took a second look at the plate that there’s a city (with a bridge to the country) on the left side.
WOW!! Common ground with DE!! ;)
Is the purpose of a license plate to make the car easily identifiable? If so, then whoever is in charge needs to be spanked. Hard. This design doesn’t do it.
Personally, I want all states to go back to a simple two-color design. And while we’re at it, let’s authorize employers to issue little stickers that go on the upper left of the license plate for employee parking–thus eliminating the clogging of our back windows with parking stickers. Safety first!
When we still lived in Boston, my best friend made fun of our proposed move to Ohio, saying it was just a flat farmland from one end to the other. I got out the almanac and showed him that Ohio of all the states had the most cities with more than 50,000 people.
This new plate sure does not create that impression.
But you gotta admit, even though the new plate sucks, it still looks better than our new pink driver’s license.
I normally get new plates each time I renew my registration because I have vanity plates and enjoy having extra sets, but the new design sucks so bad I didn’t get new plates this time.
And I like the new pink driver’s license and even wore a pink shirt when I renewed my license so that my photo would be color coordinated.
Yes, I’m gay.
Ugh. I hate them both. The new plate looks so similar to Iowa and South Carolina plates. It’s too busy, it’s stereotyping the midwest and it is hardly an accurate representation of the state. Not too mention that strictly from a design point of view it looks like a kid’s placemat at a chain restaurant.
The perfect balance logo is anything but– why that screwy use of fonts? The big O is too light and the rest of the letters too heavy- and a serif font. wth? It looks completely OUT of balance as if the statement is to be taken as ironic. (Which it should be, really, shouldn’t it?)
Both look like the work of rank amateurs– is that the impression we wish to make ?
Ohio isn’t that bad of a state once you get past the millions of hominids living there with stupendeously horrid taste. Unfortunately, that same bad taste has transferred itself to architecture, etc…
Is this an Ohio license plate? Well, yeah, but in fact it is a visible receipt that the person owning a motor vehicle has paid a tax. And license plates are not just any proof of purchase. One only needs to show a receipt to the old flatulance workin’ the door at Wally World once on the way out; license plates must be visible to any cop any time, as the unlucky found out this week when they failed to remove the snow from back bumpers and found themselves the recipient of tickets and fines. David Lauri mentioned the availability of vanity plates, and the Buckeye State offers an abundant choice of same. Wanna’ tell the world you are an OSU alum? The state will provide the plates (at a premium) announcing your scarlet and gray pride. And it is this type of voluntary taxation that guys like the Old Bandito can get behind. And why stop at vanity plates announcing schools or fraternities like the Masons or sports teams. Let anyone in the state design their own specialty plate with whatever design they prefer, with the cost dependant on design difficulty. Trust the Old Bandito, the guys making these items in Lucasville don’t mind the extra effort……
Wow, those new Ohio plates are not getting any love. I wrote about it on my blog too:
http://radiogirlradiogirl.blogspot.com/2010/01/new-ohio-license-plates.html
Oh, and the plates were designed by the state’s First Lady. Oops.
Unreal. Words cannot describe the poor design of these plates. Its like being forced to place a bad 80’s bumper sticker on your car. If the Gov’s wife wanted this, she should have hired an agency or designer to execute the design. I’m not a fan of these style plates anyway, simple is better, one or two color, nice typography, and for Gods sake no gradation.
Wow. The First Lady of Ohio took some lessons from Mrs. Mike Turner on how to screw over the state with a crappy attempt at branding. This plate looks like one of those airbrushed palm tree things you get for your pick up truck at Traders World.
Best comment about the plates I heard: “its never that sunny in Ohio.”
They look nice from a distance. Not up close. Personally I would go with these over our CURRENT plates. Our current plates are some how bland yet visually repulsing at the same time. I loved the older plates that had the white to gold gradient.
I don’t hate the new plate design but I’m not sure how it really represents us. I get the plane…I get the city….I get the farm thing going on…..I just don’t get it together. We are such a wonderful state with a vast majority of culture. This is the best they could come up with? It is no wonder why we are broke and such a hot mess here, lol. I hated the tan to white gradient ones….how absolutely boring. I do have to say I love the red, white, and blue ones because they are patriotic. :) It would have been interesting if they actually had made a contest out of it and let people send in ideas. Then narrow it down and let the people pick which ones they liked. And your right D.Greene it is NEVER that sunny here, lol.
UGLY,UGLY, UGLY! Did I mention UGLY? If a kid took the least used colors in a crayon box and used them- strange blue, and chicken yellow and added a childlike farm drawing it would equal these Ohio plates. I am in shock that intelligent people approved these plates. UNBELIEVEABLE! LETS CREATE A GROUNDSWELL OF OPPOSITION AND DEMAND CHANGE! Ohio is better than this!
Did anyone else notice yesterday’s DDN article, “Beautiful Ohio license plates outsell old design“? DDN staff writer Jim DeBrosse raves about the plates, referring to “the new plate’s beauty” and saying that “Beautiful Ohio burst on the scene like a fairy tale rainbow.”
They’re running a poll as to whether DDN readers like the plates. Right now 39.45% of voters like the plates and 8.98% “kind of” like them, while 35.81% don’t like the plates and 10.68% like them “not so much.”
Could they make Ohio any smaller? Just like the old plate…can’t tell where you’re from unless you’re tailgating.
“The state of perfect balance?” I just had some Smart Balance popcorn. Are they selling a state or health food?
A former Ohioan who now works for The Stranger, Seattle’s weekly independent paper, ripped on Ohio’s new license plates yesterday, calling them “ugly” and “a monstrosity of shapes and colors.”
Well if you’re a type of person that actually appreciates license plates, not just someone who makes a living of writing crackpot articles on why a license plate sucks, then you’d probably like the new design. I just moved to Atlanta from Ohio where I’ve been my entire life and the first time I saw this new license plate was driving on I-75 in Atlanta and guess what?!?! I could make out every single word and could tell exactly what state it was and what it had on it!! TA-DA! And I mean if you’re arguing about the design and what pieces of Ohio actually go on the license plate, how could you even pick what goes on it? Should we have a vote next time? I mean honestly, there’s so many different parts and pieces about Ohio you can only pick so many to put on a license plate. It kept the birthplace of avaiation which is good, and it has the sihlouette of a large downtown city overshadowed by a bright sun and the scene of farmland. HOW THE HELL DOES THAT NOT EXPLAIN OHIO?? Because I’m pretty damn sure that is what makes Ohio Ohio. I mean if the bigtime writer that did this article would rather it say Ohio: “We have no jobs” or Ohio: “Our Governor doesn’t care about children” then go for it but I’m pretty sure this design works a lot better.
Aaron, you must understand that the host loves to complain about everything. If you read a lot of his posts, you would realize that the host has a pretty big idea on every little last subject, and he always thinks he is right. BTW, you find the theme of TAX THE RICH, TAXES ARE GOOD, and GIVE ME YOUR MONEY FOR SOCIAL PROGRAMS written throughout the blog. But no worries, he only has opinions. But he may be elected to office, which would be great. Then we could see him go back on his word. He says he wants smaller government, but he is liberal. That is impossible.
Ohio is reflected well in this license plate. And who cares really? It is a license plate. Why not worry about feeding the homeless first…
First of all why 2 plates? This is really a money maker for the highway patrol (ask all the neighboring states why they only have one rear plate). As a former Ohio resident who has lived in Michigan for the past 10 years, it is an embarrassment for me to even like that new pastel design which you can not read from a “prpoer car length” (as told to me by the Ohio State Trooper”. What a joke. What ever happened to straight and simple designs? Since when does the governors wife have more contol than residence? Glad I don’t live there anymore . At least Michigan plates are more readable and simpler in design. Show some protest Ohio residents, and ask any patrol officer the real reason why there is a front plate (radar target)!!! Jerks!
The new pastel design looks like frakkin sheet. Way to go Ohio, just like they say in the Pretenders song. What an embarrassment! You make me NOT PROUD to be from Ohio. Frakkin jerks!
Did some 5 year old with broken crayons designs this? What has this state come to? There are so may other problems this state has why inflict us with this crappy design? Give us something to be proud of, not his sterotype shit that you are portraying. Glad I am not a resident anymore. To hell with your license plate (fees) and your state!
i think the plate is great. i loved them when i first saw them. i thought, finally ohio is getting some pretty plates like many of the other states. i like the artistic look about them compared to the old ugly boring ones, and they are going to make my red car, or any color car, look much nicer. and ohio is a fine state and is doing just fine. there’s nothing wrong with the country. although i do agree with one responder.. they could have alluded to the great variety of culture we have here….
Well 800,000 Ohioans and I love the new design.I went out the first day of issue and bought mine.The 2001 and 2003 plates look like a Dairy Queen Sign And the 1996 Look like some one had rubbed their ass on them and left shit skid marks behind.The blue on white and green on white in the 80’s were ok but a 3 inch Ohio at the top was ugly and why even bother with putting a half inch out line of Ohio in the middle of the plates.From 3 feet back it looked like a dot.I was living in Nebraska in 1976 and they had a beautiful plate,I expected something about the bicentennial on the Ohio plate and all we got was a off yellow with red lettering and only the states name on it in half inch letters not even a year on it.The beautiful Ohio plate is the best looking plate this state has ever produced.I also lived in Washington in 1980 and the green and white plate did the job but there was nothing special about it.On the new one they use the barely can see Rainer.That what I hated about the dull grey sunrise on the 2003-2009 Ohio plate.
The new plates looks like a child drew it. Actaully I hear from the DMV it was the Governors wife. Disregarding what the lady from Atlanta, the best plates, are the ones with the simplest designs. They are less costly to make. They are license plates not works of art. An example of this would be Ohio’s historical license plates or a plate like Vermont’s. These have two colors that do not clash with the color of most cars. Also, the lettering is BIG and BOLD enough to read from a distance which is what law enforcement needs.
i have collected license plates foir 65 yrs. i think they are the best plates ohio has ever had. i got a set soon as soon as i saw them.
Hey Dave, Of course the new ones out sold the old ones. You can’t buy the olds ones anymore. Also, the best plates in 65 years? Are you kidding? You and the govenors wife must have been classmates in sixth grade art class.
I hate the current plate design so much that I’ve been looking into who designs them and if I can help with redesigning them. I was told that if Strickland gets voted out then a new design is very possible. I was just at the Governor’s mansion the other day (for unrelated reasons) so I’m hopeful that I can get in touch with the right people. This matters because I’ve been told that Francis Strickland has a lot to do with the current design.
I want to open up the design to the greater graphic design community to see what we can come up with. Personally I would like it if they were black and white like the European plates.
By the way, I don’t like the te Ohio logo at all! It needs to be redone as well.
I just bought a brand new sports car. I was appalled when I went to buy new plates and I saw what I had to put on my brand new car. Bright yellow, bright blue, bright green, and a farm. Come on people. We have to pay for these. SIMPLE, SIMPLE SIMPLE.
I just figured out why our new license plates are so ugly. If you want a normal licence plate without neon blue, lime green, and chicken yellow, you can get one. The catch you ask???? $42.00 more. A total of $92.00 per year if you don’t want to put that disgusting thing on the new sports car you just saved for 3 years for. It’s just another way for the state to rip us off. We have a choice. The ugly plate that a 5 year old colored with crayons out of her box that she never uses, or pay more so you don’t look like an eye sore driving around. That new license plate looks like an ugly bumper sticker. I don’t want bumper stickers with bright colors on my new $25,000 sports car. Ohio….Do you think were all stupid?? Nice try!!!
Well now that Kasich is in, I’m going to make every attempt to get over to the Governor’s Mansion and see what I can do about redesigning the plates.
I like it! It shows bridging farmland to cities, and honoring the birthplace of aviation (which our state will probably ALWAYS do, to honor progress).
You all bitch too much!
HA! Well at least the colors are nasty like NM’s plates!
aren’t**
You people do know for as much as you are complaining about the Beautiful Ohio plate design, it sold 3 to 1 to the sunburst design, so all of you really are minority here. This is a fact, the BMV had a press release about it. These were statistics when the plate was OPTIONAL. Because they sold so well, it prompted the state to make them the standard issue plate. Last but not least it’s a license plate, get over it. Pay for the tags every year or biannually and move on. That is all they care about, people I tell you!
Jayce, I am not sure where you are getting these statistics from but the plate is UGLY! Everyone I talk to agrees and has the Red, White, and Blue tag still. In fact, I made sure I kept my Red, White, and Blue tags. You are correct about one thing, it is JUST a license plate. That is why the design should be simple much like the Ohio tags for historical vehicles. Another good example of a good plate is Vermonts or the Indiana blue and white tag. A plate only needs two colors and the letters and the state should be easy enough for law enforcement to read at a distance. Everything else is a waist. So tell your friend, the former governor’s wife, and her 6th grade art class, to stay out of the licence plate business cause convicts do a better job than she does. And from what I have seen, they have better taste than she and you do as well.
i disagree I really like this design sure it ain’t for most people
/\ and of course you would, Michael. You used “ain’t” in your post…
Give me a choice to put art work on my car. I want a plain black monochromatic car. Very tacky Ohio!!!
My biggest gripe is the perception it gives others to the state of Ohio. We have cities, lakes, industry, and yes farms. But why make ourselves look like we are a bunch of country farmers? The Red White and Blue plates were my favorite and when looking at plates like Michigan, I would always say how I like Ohio’s plates. Now we have these….. We might as well say, “Don’t come to Ohio and spend your money. Because there’s nothing here to see besides farms!” Way to make our state look appeasing by putting a huge farm scene and a small black mark that is supposed to represent a city. I say go back to what we had. Why did we need to change in the first place? Is there a rule that I am not aware of as to how long a plate design is allowed in service? Heck, I say go throwback and bring back the old Cardinal plates……..anything but this please!
The new farm boy plates absolutely suck. I made the mistake of ordering new plates for one of our 4 vehicles because the paint was coming off the old one. I’m going to keep my old ones as long as Ohio uses this horrible design.
You all do realize that the land in Ohio is mostly farm land, right? I personally do not like the new plates, but seriously? The design? Big farm land that has a bridge into a city? If you are in the city and drive out 71, 70, 23 or any of the other big roads in Ohio …where do you end up? The country. Really do not understand everyones problem with the pictures on the plate not representing Ohio.
Again, I don’t personally like them. But to say it doesn’t represent Ohio is ridiculous. If you’re offended when someone says that Ohio is just a bunch of farm towns, then go to the east coast or Cali. Ohio IS a bunch of farm towns. It only takes a road trip through Ohio once to figure that out. You’re in rural areas 80-90% of the time if you drive through Ohio.
James,
I’m not sure where you read that anyone said Ohio does NOT have any farms. No one denied Ohio’s farms and I’m sure everyone is even quite aware of the Amish population we have. You obviously are not an economist. The reason it is bad advertise Ohio’s farms on the license plate, which is traveling advertisements for the sate, is because it does not give a good perception of the state. No one ever says, “Oh gee, I would really like to go to Ohio and see their farms!” I am also sure that you have heard your share of jokes or criticisms about states such as Montana, North Dakota, Kentucky etc and about how they are comprised of flat land and ‘hillbillies’. Not saying that is how I feel, it is comments I have heard from others. The perception of those states isn’t favorable or appealing as many feel they have no reason to want to travel there. The Ohio farm scene on the license plate argues a similar perception. When living in Japan, Texas and Oklahoma while I was in the military, I had many friends whom I had met from states all over the US. Many would say, what does Ohio have besides football? Ohio has a lot to offer but not many people know that. This state needs as much positive publicity as it can get to increase our economic state; farm scenes aren’t going to do it. But you may not understand this as you decided to not actually read others posts before making your own. If you had, you would understand no one said Ohio doesn’t have farms….they only said the plate was ugly and portrays farms as our biggest asset.
Not a fan of either; the farm one could have been ‘pretty’, but it is not legible and there’s too much going on…so totally agreed there. However, the other one looks a bit amateur and simple/plain and like a law office or public services logo or something. (Just my opinion, but I don’t like it.) It’s clean, but it’s kind of laughable too – “The state of perfect balance.” Could they not think of a better phrase? (Also, nothing about that logo is ‘balanced’ really — thin font on the first ‘O’, bolder weight on the following three letters…and off-center text with the phrase.
I just find it all amusing.
I do wish Ohio would step up a bit… it does seem a little backwards, unfortunately – hence one reason I moved out.
According to this Columbus Dispatch article, “License plate gets new look,” the Beautiful Ohio license plate’s days are numbered:
Everyone that likes the farm tag, GO FISH! Here is the new design for next year: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2011/11/24/license-plate-gets-new-look.html
This makes me very happy- I’ve updated the post to include the new Ohio license plate design