After 20 years, Iowa DOT plans to roll out new license plate designs

Iowa motorists will begin getting new license plates next year, and it's likely there will be no shortage of folks offering free advice on what they should look like.

The current plates, introduced in 1997, are white, blue and gray. They feature a town and country theme with a farmstead and two silos silhouetted in white by a city skyline.

"Right now, there is a large variety of draft designs," said Andrea Henry, director of strategic communications for the Iowa Department of Transportation. "There is a variation of the city and country theme that we have right now. We also have a very Iowa-centric theme that plays on the Iowa flag in our drafts."

Many Iowans are well aware that license plates serve as mini-billboards to promote the state as motorists travel nationwide. That's resulted in some big arguments in the past among Iowans over license plate designs.

In 1983, DOT officials were set to print "A State of Minds" on each Iowa plate until a chorus of public derision forced them to yank the slogan. In the 1990s, after the current plate design was unveiled, it was panned by critics as dull and lacking visual impact.

Some Iowans are already willing to offer suggestions for the new license plate design.

State Sen. Liz Mathis, D-Cedar Rapids, a former TV news anchor, said she likes the idea of new red, white and blue license plates based on the Iowa flag. In addition, she wants the plates to incorporate the Iowa motto: "Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain."

"When you walk into the Capitol, there are wonderful quotes and mottos" painted on the walls, Mathis said. "They really bring it together that we stand for something."

Russ Laszniak, a professor of marketing at Iowa State University, suggests that state officials design the new plate with the goal of reinforcing an image about Iowa, rather than a more difficult task of trying to introduce new ideas.

State officials should also consider the target market they want to reach, including how they want people from outside of Iowa to think about the state, Laszniak said. "That might require some research with people from out of state," he added.

DOT officials plan to focus on three to five designs as finalists in the license plate selection process, Henry said. They then intend to seek input from the public. Some of the possible sources of input could include social media, the DOT's website, and comments from Iowans who attend the Iowa State Fair in August.

Gov. Kim Reynolds' office is involved in the design process, which began while former Gov. Terry Branstad was still at the Capitol, Henry said. As of now, there are no plans to have a slogan or motto on the plates, and they will still identify the county where they vehicle comes from, she added.

"We will be meeting with the governor here in the next few weeks to make sure that she likes the direction that we are going in and that this is the way that she wants to proceed," Henry said.

Reynolds' spokeswoman Brenna Smith confirmed that the governor will be meeting with the DOT to discuss options soon. "However, the governor would like public input on options before any final decisions are made, since this is something so important to Iowans across the state," Smith added.

The new plates will be gradually installed on 4.2 million vehicles over a 10-year cycle to replace the existing plate design. However, all motorists will have the option of obtaining a newly designed plate by paying an extra $5 when they renew their vehicle registrations.

Materials for Iowa license plates are supplied by the Minnesota-based 3M Co. under a contract with the state. The plates are manufactured by inmates at the Anamosa State Penitentiary in eastern Iowa.