Governor unveils new license plate

November 29, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

COLUMBUS

Gov. John Kasich officially unveiled a new Ohio license-plate design Monday and asked residents to add their suggestions for slogans to the final product.

The plate is expected to be ready for use in about a year and will match a new Ohio driver’s license design, both topped with “Ohio” in white letters on a red background, with an outline of the state in the initial “O.”

“We’ll be federally compliant, we’ll have a whole new license plate and ... we’ll be a first in the country where the driver’s license will actually match what the license plate looks like,” Kasich said.

The final design is not yet set in stone, however.

Through early January, residents can select from a lengthy list of slogans — from “Home of Astronauts” to “Mother of Presidents” — or add their own, online at myplate.ohio.gov. Selected phrases will appear on the new plates in lighter lettering behind the main license numbers.

“The idea [was] that we could invite Ohioans in the 21st Century to come up with their ideas about what Ohio means to them,” Kasich said. “Whether it’s ‘Go Bucks,’ or ‘Go Browns’ or ‘I love Cincinnati’ ... or ‘Come to Southern Ohio, We Rock,’ whatever it is, they will be able to send in their suggestions that will then be posted on the license plate. ... This is about as interactive a program as you can imagine.”

The license plate and driver’s license were designed by students at the Columbus College of Art & Design.