Designer of Iowa's proposed new license plates speaks out

The graphic designer who created the options for the new Iowa Department of Transportation license places spoke out Saturday.

Graphic designer and Iowa DOT employee Christina Andersen posted on Facebook expressing her sadness and frustration with the negative response many Iowans gave her license plate designs. "In the past 48 hours, I've been indirectly told by close to 5K people that I suck, have the talent of a third-grader, and should be fired from my job," she wrote.

Governor Kim Reynolds and Department of Transportation Director Mark Lowe unveiled the three possible designs for the new plates Friday. Guests at the Iowa State Fair were invited to vote for their favorite.

Many Iowans posted harsh comments online following the reveal.

In her Facebook post, Andersen said the criticism went too far. "The severity of the words chosen in these comments ranges from stinging to an absolute gut punch that leaves me short of breath and tears flowing uncontrollably," she wrote.

Andersen said certain parameters kept her from designing the full-color license plates some Iowans have asked for. License plate numbers need to be easily read by police officers, she wrote.

"If there is an abducted child and we have the plate number of a suspect, do you want an award-winning license plate or something that improves our chances of finding that child?" Andersen wrote. "That means minimal to no design behind the number/letter combo."

Other restrictions, like the state's decision to forego embossed letters and numbers to save money, also put constraints on her designs, Andersen wrote.

Andersen said she understands artists receive criticism when sharing their work but asked that critics be more thoughtful. Her post received nearly 4,000 "likes" and many supportive comments.

Andersen declined to comment to the Register.

Other artists submitted designs to the DOT for consideration but were turned down because they did not fit the guidelines.

Iowans can still vote for their favorite design on the Iowa DOT's website.