My Nebraska license plate reintroduces the red state map plates used in the late 1960s & early 1970s and introduces the retro font from the Nebraska welcome signs. Chimney Rock & the Sandhills from western Nebraska complement the Nebraska State Capitol & a city skyline from eastern Nebraska in the landscape.

This Nevada license plate is inspired by the neon casino lights that glow against the midnight sky all over Nevada. The iconic shape of the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign frames the state name, which is in a Western font to represent its rugged Old West history. Neon mountains line the top similar to Nevada’s 2001-2016 license plate, and a dark blue gradient references the state’s blue license plates used from 1969 to 1984.

The Old Man of the Mountain has graced New Hampshire license plates since 1987 despite its collapse in 2003. I decided to finally retire the cliff face in favor of a “Granite State” approach in my license plate redesign with a white/light gray/light blue gradient. At the bottom is the state tartan, with purple (from the purple finch, which is the state bird) making its license plate debut. 

Despite its unpopularity, I decided to revive the 1979-1993 buff-on-blue license plates for my redesign. A New Jersey-shaped flicker lights up the blue background, as Thomas Edison invented the electric lightbulb in the state in 1879. New Jersey boasts the largest number of oceanside boardwalks in the US, and that is referenced by the wooden planks at the bottom of the plate. The state motto replaces the “Garden State” slogan.

My New Mexico license plates are direct evolutions of the state’s distinctive yellow and turquoise license plates. The zia from the state flag is no longer the serial divider and instead surrounds a hot air balloon at the top of the plate. Inside the hot air balloon is a geometric pattern inspired by Navajo weaving.

Various license plates in New York history have featured a Niagara Falls/New York City collage, and my redesign refreshes these collages with a more abstract approach using the pinstripes found in New York City baseball. At the top, the pinstripes begin their descent as water falling off of Niagara Falls and become urban skyscrapers at the bottom. Similar to Matt Wolff’s NJ/NY Gotham FC identity, a mint green reminiscent of the Statue of Liberty forms the base color of this license plate.

The main focal point of this license plate is the typography for the state name, inspired by the plates used from 1939 to 1941 as well as serif, pirate-style type that references the coast’s history of pirates. At the upper left corner is a rendition of the Wright Flyer in the shape of North Carolina. At the bottom is a coastal dune landscape that rises to the Blue Ridge Mountains to represent the diverse landscapes of the state.

Despite its presence as a slogan on North Dakota license plates since 1958, visual elements of the International Peace Garden have never been featured on the plates! The main focal point of this plate is the garden’s Floral Clock, which depicts the bison and features the prairie rose, the North Dakota state flower. The clock is set at 11:02 to represent North Dakota’s statehood date of November 2, 1889. The bottom half of the plate combines the layout of the garden with a patchwork of agricultural fields, and the green and gold are taken from the North Dakota coat of arms.

After a series of very cluttered license plates in the 2010s, I decided to keep it simple for my Ohio redesign. This red-based plate focuses on the uniquely shaped Ohio state flag, which adorns either side of the Ohio wordmark like one of the concepts for Ohio’s 2013 license plate redesign. The map from Ohio state highway shields serves as the tittle for the “I” in the wordmark. Despite the 2021 plates having flat-screened numbers, I decided to re-emboss these plates for my redesign.

The centerpiece of my Oklahoma license plate redesign is the return of the state flag shield previously seen on the state’s plates from 1990 to 2017. Similar to the flag and the current license plates, the background is light blue in color. The sunburst design is inspired by the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 2018-19 City Edition jerseys, which were themselves inspired by Native American art. A flowy serif font is inspired by Oklahoma’s 1982 sunset license plates.

Although Oregon’s current douglas fir license plates have become iconic to the state, I decided instead to tweak the retro license plates that I ended up loving on a recent trip to Oregon. Originally used from 1955 to 1973, my modernized gold-on-blue plates feature the beaver from the back of the Oregon state flag and the wordmark from Travel Oregon. A sublimated wood pattern references the state’s vast forests and love for the outdoors.

This license plate for the Keystone State depicts the keystone on a structural arch for the first time in license plate history. The arch has a brick center to represent the colonial-era architecture of Philadelphia and eastern Pennsylvania. Steel beams form the outside of the arch to represent the steel industry of Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania (including a wordmark inspired by steel I-beams). Blue and gold have been on the state’s license plates since 1923, so those colors remain.

An alternate license plate commemorates the upcoming 250th anniversary of American independence with a patriotic color scheme.

The color scheme for my Puerto Rico license plate is based off of the pre-American Puerto Rican flag from 1895, which uses a lighter shade of blue than the current one. Flag elements are used to portray a beach scene, complete with a sand-colored gradient. The wordmark is inspired by street signage in old San Juan and is inside a bomba skirt, referencing the traditional Puerto Rican music and dance style. In the middle is a traditional Taino coquí symbol, representing the island’s symbolic frog. 

This simple design for Rhode Island features the state flag for the first time in its license plate history, with the stars rearranged so that the anchor is more prominently featured. Some finalists of the 2022 Rhode Island redesign contest feature the waves from the current license plate, so a sublimated wave pattern is seen in the background.

My South Carolina license plate depicts the state flag as a nighttime beach scene, with the crescent moon lighting up a single palmetto tree and the Atlantic Ocean. There are 46 stars to represent the state’s 46 counties; 8 of the stars are slightly larger to represent South Carolina being the 8th state in the United States.

Every South Dakota license plate since 1952 has had an illustration of Mount Rushmore. To differentiate my redesign, I decided to add references to the native Sioux tribes: the background is a blue gradient stylized like a Sioux star quilt, and the Sioux name for the state is listed at the bottom. The shades of blue are inspired by the state flag, and the star dividers from 1976 to 1986 make a return. An alternate plate option highlights the Sitting Bull Monument instead of Mount Rushmore.

My Tennessee redesign plays off the state’s “Soundtrack of America” tourism slogan with a design that honors Tennessee’s contributions to country and blues music.A country music-inspired wordmark is placed above an abstracted map of Tennessee. Inspired by the horizontal lines in posters created by Nashville’s legendary Hatch Show Print, horizontal sheet music lines form the background of the license plate. The colors and tri-star roundel from the state flag make an appearance.

For a place with as much state pride as Texas, I wanted to go for a simple and bold design based on the Texas flag. The flag striping pattern is based on one of the finalists for Texas’ 2009 license plate redesign, and the slab serif font is reminiscent of the wordmarks that the Texas Rangers used from 1972 to 1993.

My redesigned license plate for the US Virgin Islands is a return to the yellow “Our Islands, Our Home” license plates last used from 2000 to 2005 and retains the map of the territorial islands that have been seen since 1994. The bottom of the plate references the many coral reefs seen in the territory, and the colors are taken from the official madras design for the US Virgin Islands.

The beehive is an important symbol for Utah, so my license plate redesigns are based around a hexagonal honeycomb theme. The beehive seen on state highway shields and used on license plates from 1975 to 1978 returns as the serial divider. Replacing the Delicate Arch optional plate is a honeycomb representing the state’s two distinct landscapes: the snowy peaks of northern Utah and the red rocks of southern Utah. At the bottom is a quote that is attributed to Brigham Young’s first sighting of the Salt Lake Valley in 1847.