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United Plates of America (CANADA FINALE!)


TheGiantsFan

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Hello once again!

The MLB lockout has kinda dampened my motivation for the Revisiting the Alton Baseball League series that I started a few months back, so I decided to shift to a different passion project in the meantime.

 

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My new United Plates of America series combines my appreciation of license plates and love for well-researched designs. I will be redesigning the license plates in all U.S. states and territories, giving each one a completely new design based on a state's sights, histories, and license plate histories.

 

Many states already have perfect license plates, but I will be challenging myself by creating original designs for every single one of them.

 

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To start off, here is my home state of California!

 

CALIFORNIA

 

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California's iconic "Lipstick" license plates first debuted in 1995 and has remained mostly unchanged since then, give or take a few taglines and resizes. However, these relatively plain license plates (which can be compared to similar license plates from Louisiana) do not represent the diverse landscapes and population that is seen in the vastness of California.

 

The standard passenger plate is a simple design that utilizes California's unofficial state colors of blue and gold and a font inspired by California's "Sunset" license plates of the 1980s. This design then sets up a template for the redesigned specialty license plates. While many of these new specialty plate designs are simple carry-overs from the state's existing selection, there is a new series of sports and collegiate license plates.

 

You can see all my redesigned California specialty plates on my Behance project page!

 

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With California out of the way, I will be going through the rest of the states and territories in alphabetical order starting with...

 

ALABAMA

 

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My Alabama license plate honors the state’s role in the civil rights movement of the 1960s, as Rosa Parks’ act of defiance and the Selma to Montgomery marches occurred in the state. A sunrise behind Selma‘s Edmund Pettus Bridge is featured at the bottom of the plate, and the English translation of the state’s motto is underneath the state name. An Alabama flag heart is at the upper-left corner, but the longtime “Heart of Dixie” motto has been dropped due to its racist connotations to the Confederate South.

 

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ALASKA

 

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My redesigned Alaska license plate features the unique aurora borealis that can be seen in this arctic state. A mountain landscape with a glacier is at the bottom of the plate, and the Big Dipper/North Star from the state flag serves as the divider.

 

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I'm super excited for this new series, and I welcome any suggestions for things to put on any of the states and territories that I haven't done yet! :)

 

(I'm finishing up American Samoa and Arizona as I write this, but please suggest away for everything after that!)

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That Alaska plate is amazing.  I want to see all of 'em.  Please improve the Illinois plates.

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On 3/8/2022 at 6:08 PM, seasaltvanilla said:

Love this. Good work.

 

Thank you very much! :)

 

On 3/9/2022 at 9:15 AM, CS85 said:

That Alaska plate is amazing.  I want to see all of 'em.  Please improve the Illinois plates.

 

Thank you, I'm glad you liked Alaska! I'll see what I can do for Illinois, and would you happen to have any suggestions for that state?

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AMERICAN SAMOA

 

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American Samoa’s license plates are inspired by two flags from the territory’s history. The crescent moon is taken from the precolonial Flag of Paradise that the Kingdom of Samoa used until 1873. The triangle design is taken from the current territorial flag of American Samoa. Traditional designs found on the American Samoa seal are found on the left half of the plate, and the “Motu O Fiafiaga” motto (meaning “Island of Paradise”) is retained from the original license plate.

 

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ARIZONA

 

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Arizona’s license plate design is inspired by the vibrant colors and geometric designs found in Native American art throughout the American Southwest. A saguaro cactus towers over a sunrise in the middle of the plate.

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  • TheGiantsFan changed the title to United Plates of America (5/56 American Samoa & Arizona)
16 hours ago, TheGiantsFan said:

 

Thank you, I'm glad you liked Alaska! I'll see what I can do for Illinois, and would you happen to have any suggestions for that state?

 

ARIZONA

 

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Regarding Illinois, nah, I'll leave it to you!

 

I'm torn on the AZ plates.  I like the new design, but it definitely feels spartan.

 

The AZ Highways magazine plate is one of my favorites, and it really adds something to the experience of being out in the valley. 

 

images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQdwuIWzMjio5WtXk01o0P

 

 

I quickly photoshopped a different blend of colors that I feel like works a bit better, IMHO.

 

vjgQGMp.png

 

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On 3/10/2022 at 3:19 PM, LMU said:

Just be aware that the crescent moon/star is universally seen now as the main symbol for Islam so that may not fly.

 

You're definitely right there, especially with the island being 96% Christian (according to Wikipedia). Considering that the island only has 46,000 people and is relatively isolated from other American possessions, I think that only the locals will really ever see these plates.

 

On 3/11/2022 at 6:33 AM, CS85 said:

Regarding Illinois, nah, I'll leave it to you!

 

I'm torn on the AZ plates.  I like the new design, but it definitely feels spartan.

 

The AZ Highways magazine plate is one of my favorites, and it really adds something to the experience of being out in the valley. 

 

images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQdwuIWzMjio5WtXk01o0P

 

 

I quickly photoshopped a different blend of colors that I feel like works a bit better, IMHO.

 

vjgQGMp.png

 

 

I was actually a huge fan of keeping the relative simplicity of the design so that the vibrant colors would do the heavy lifting for this plate. I thought about adding a cream base to the plate, but that would probably muddy up the design more.

 

As for your color suggestions, I think I would still prefer the color scheme that I used solely because it's an even balance of colors throughout the design. In your color scheme, I personally think that the bright turquoise overpowers the dark red and orange instead of complementing them equally. That's just me, though, and I appreciate the Photoshop!

 

On 3/11/2022 at 8:55 AM, raysox said:

Thank you for doing a project i've always wanted to do Lysander. Love all of these so far, i'm glad you're content with making changes instead of relying what already exists.

 

Glad you're really enjoying it Michael, and sorry for taking that off your plate! 😅

 

Throwing away all the existing designs is easily the most challenging part of this series, and it's definitely a challenge that I'm willing to take!

 

On 3/11/2022 at 12:19 PM, tp49 said:

Really like the Alaska tag a lot.  I also like the California plate as well but to me it looks very similar to the current Pennsylvania tag.  Looking forward to seeing what comes next.

 

Glad you liked Alaska! :)

 

My roommate from New York state definitely commented on the similarity of my CA design with PA's current plates, but that will only make Pennsylvania's design much more interesting to make!

 

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ARKANSAS

 

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Arkansas was quite a challenging state to redesign since its license plate history has been relatively plain and unchanged, so here goes!

 

Arkansas is home to the Crater of Diamonds State Park, which is the only American diamond mine accessible to the public. This simple design combines elements of the diamond gem as well as the diamond and stars on the Arkansas state flag.

 

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COLORADO

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My Colorado license plate is a new take on the classic mountain range design that has been on Colorado license plates since 1960. The jagged mountain motif is based off the two blue bars of the Colorado state flag. The previously-square divider has now been stretched to better depict a Colorado map, and the new slogan commemorates Colorado’s upcoming 150th statehood anniversary.

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  • TheGiantsFan changed the title to United Plates of America (7/56 Arkansas & Colorado)

Only one I’d say that isn’t an improvement is the Colorado one. Colorados current one is completely unique and immediately identifiable. Yours looks like any other blue license plate at a distance, only thing that makes it slightly different is the jagged line.

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15 hours ago, dont care said:

Only one I’d say that isn’t an improvement is the Colorado one. Colorados current one is completely unique and immediately identifiable. Yours looks like any other blue license plate at a distance, only thing that makes it slightly different is the jagged line.

I agree with this as well. I think you could keep the same design, but use green, white, and grey instead of the flag colors. Colorado is the only Western state that uses green as far as I'm aware. The only other two state that use it are Vermont and New Hampshire AFAIK.

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29 minutes ago, GriffinM6 said:

I agree with this as well. I think you could keep the same design, but use green, white, and grey instead of the flag colors. Colorado is the only Western state that uses green as far as I'm aware. The only other two state that use it are Vermont and New Hampshire AFAIK.

 

New Hampshire uses green text, but otherwise is a very blue-heavy plate, with the sky on the left and the Old Man of the Mountain on the right.

Vehicle registration plates of New Hampshire - Wikipedia

GoldenPanthers.png
RiverHawks.png

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On 3/14/2022 at 12:37 PM, DCarp1231 said:

All of these are fantastic! I can’t wait to see what you do with Maryland.

 

(hoping you don’t incorporate the flag)

 

Thank you very much! :)

 

I know it's cliche for any Maryland concept, but it's gonna have to have the flag somehow because it's just so cool! 😅 Regardless, is there anything you would like to see on a Maryland plate (I have yet to do any research for that because it's still a while away); I would love to incorporate your suggestions!

 

On 3/15/2022 at 7:16 AM, GriffinM6 said:
On 3/14/2022 at 3:31 PM, dont care said:

Only one I’d say that isn’t an improvement is the Colorado one. Colorados current one is completely unique and immediately identifiable. Yours looks like any other blue license plate at a distance, only thing that makes it slightly different is the jagged line.

 

I agree with this as well. I think you could keep the same design, but use green, white, and grey instead of the flag colors. Colorado is the only Western state that uses green as far as I'm aware. The only other two state that use it are Vermont and New Hampshire AFAIK.

 

I also agree that the current Colorado plate is a modern classic and should never be changed!

 

However for the sake of this series, I'm challenging myself to create entirely new plates for every state regardless of how perfect some states' current plates are (Arizona and Colorado, for example). Every state is a blank slate in this series, so there will definitely be many curveballs down the road (especially this next one!)

 

I did make a quick mockup of how my Colorado plate design in the green seen on the current plates:

Spoiler

51945110145_c01fc10418_o.png

 

There will definitely be some Western state green in this series, but that will be much, muuuuch later down the line. Stay tuned for those!

 

On 3/15/2022 at 11:42 AM, CS85 said:

Sidebar:  This graphic is amazing.

 

years-of-license-plates-in-the-us-2022.j

 

That is actually super cool and useful, thanks for sharing! :)

 

18 hours ago, DTConcepts said:

I didn't think the Colorado plate could be improved, but here we are.

 

Bravo.

 

Thank you very much! Glad you liked Colorado :)

 

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This next one is a drastically different plate design!

 

CONNECTICUT

 

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A radical departure from Connecticut’s history of blue license plates, this brown design combines the state’s “Constitution State” and “Nutmeg State” nicknames. Connecticut is home to the Western world’s first written constitution (the Fundamental Orders of 1639), so the text is inspired by the decorative flairs of the state’s historic documents. The colors are inspired by faded parchment paper as well as the colors of nutmeg!

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  • TheGiantsFan changed the title to United Plates of America (8/56 Connecticut)

I’d have the lettering darker on the Connecticut one, like a dark chocolate to make it easier to read when driving around. Contrast is key with license plates because they have to be easily readable by LEO’s or the public trying to identify a particular car.

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2 hours ago, TheGiantsFan said:

 

Thank you very much! :)

 

I know it's cliche for any Maryland concept, but it's gonna have to have the flag somehow because it's just so cool! 😅 Regardless, is there anything you would like to see on a Maryland plate (I have yet to do any research for that because it's still a while away); I would love to incorporate your suggestions!

I have three ideas off the top of my head!

 

• I’d love to see the incorporation of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge

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• Music notes from the Star Spangled Banner (MD being the birthplace of the National Anthem)

 

• A simplistic approach using red, black, yellow and white. Nothing special or out of the box

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19 hours ago, dont care said:

I’d have the lettering darker on the Connecticut one, like a dark chocolate to make it easier to read when driving around. Contrast is key with license plates because they have to be easily readable by LEO’s or the public trying to identify a particular car.

 

You're right that it needs slightly more contrast; here's a darkened version of the dark brown for you!

 

Spoiler

51945104565_a7dbe5d52d_o.png

 

18 hours ago, DCarp1231 said:

I have three ideas off the top of my head!

 

• I’d love to see the incorporation of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge

 

Spoiler

spacer.png

 

 

• Music notes from the Star Spangled Banner (MD being the birthplace of the National Anthem)

 

• A simplistic approach using red, black, yellow and white. Nothing special or out of the box

 

Ooh, thanks for the suggestions! I'll see what I can do for you once I reach Maryland! :)

 

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DELAWARE

 

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Delaware has maintained a consistent look for its license plates since 1962, so my license plate redesign is a simple modernization of the state’s classic design. The sans-serif “DELAWARE” font is replaced by a script inspired by the iconic Dolles sign* (dismantled in 2021) in Rehoboth Beach. Delaware’s “Small Wonder” slogan replaces “The First State”, and a blue gradient brightens up the design.

 

*Suggested to me by a coworker who happens to be a Delaware native!

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