Oklahoma unveiled a new license plate design earlier this week, one all Oklahoma drivers will need to switch to in 2017. The new design was implemented in part to generate $15 million in revenue and to ensure more drivers register their cars. The last plate, featuring the “Sacred Rain Arrow” sculpture by Allan Houser, was implemented in 2009.
The new plate design doesn’t have a lot of fans. While it features the state bird, the scissor-tailed flycatcher, there isn’t any reference to Oklahoma’s Native American heritage. The bird, which is a white silhouette on a blue background, is hard to distinguish and is reminiscent of the Twitter bird or the Mockingjay in the popular “Hunger Games” franchise.
The plate features a link to TravelOk.com, which works well, since license plates serve as an advertisement for the state when Oklahoma motorists are driving through other states.
There are (subjectively) better designs out there. The Nature Conservancy has eight options featuring the state mammal: the buffalo. They’re colorful, stylized and certainly utilize a more iconic animal. Another option? Modify the current plate, or utilize the buffalo-skin shield featured on the state flag that adorned previous license plates.
Overall, the state should have done a better job designing the plate, focused more on Oklahoma’s Native American heritage and produced a design that more explicitly represents Oklahoma, its history and values, than the one we were given. Garnering more public input in the process would have been a good idea. Then, at least, if the state adopted a design Oklahomans didn’t like, we would only have ourselves to blame.
[Source:-Edmond sun]
