What should RI new license plates look like? State launches license plate design contest

"Wave" goodbye to the only Rhode Island license plates some Ocean State drivers have ever known.

The light blue over white crashing-surf plates that have adorned Rhode Island automobiles for 25 years are — finally — nearing the end of the road.

The state is set to replace its standard-issue "wave" plates with a new design starting next summer.

And in a sign it's serious this time after numerous false starts, the Division of Motor Vehicles has launched a plate design contest to collect ideas and choose what should come next.

The new design could feature a Rhode Island landmark, an evocative image, an abstract design or old-school solid colors.

"We are only limited by the imagination of the citizens," DMV administrator Walter "Bud" Craddock told The Journal about the plate contest. "We want the people to be involved and pick something representative of the state that they could be proud of."

The contest launched Tuesday and design submissions will be accepted through Jan. 7.

When the designs are all in, the DMV and Gov. Dan McKee's administration will pick four or five finalists advancing to online public voting similar to the recent "I Voted" sticker contest.

Voting will last around three weeks. You can vote more than once, but the order of the designs will rotate to prevent bots or automated voting, Craddock said.

Why Rhode Island is changing its license plate

The wave design was created by artist Tyler Smith and debuted in 1996.

States are supposed to replace their standard-issue license plate every 10 years, and several have done design competitions.

But Rhode Island has appeared to be on the verge of replacing the 25-year-old "wave" plate several times before, only for a string of governors to put it off for a host of reasons.

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Then-Gov. Lincoln Chafee proposed a white-digits-on-blue-background plate design that featured an America's Cup sailboat and matched the "Discover Beautiful Rhode Island" signs at the state line.

But his administration never started making the plates before he left office in 2015.

When Gina Raimondo took over, she overhauled the state tourism program, scrapped Chafee's nautical motif and tried to rebrand Rhode Island as "cooler and warmer" than other states.

At one point the Raimondo administration planned to use the "Cooler and Warmer" logo on a new plate design, but scrapped it when the marketing campaign proved unpopular.

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After Cooler and Warmer, Raimondo soured on the idea of replacing license plates altogether, calling it a hassle and an expensive distraction from more important jobs.

When state lawmakers insisted that Raimondo come up with new plates in 2019, she announced that she would make new plates as similar to the old wave plates as possible. When COVID-19 arrived, even that didn't happen.

Raimondo's appointment as U.S. commerce secretary created an opportunity for new plates. The most vocal General Assembly proponent of a new plate design — Sen. Louis DiPalma — was a McKee supporter.

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DiPalma and fellow plate redesign backers say the change will make the roadways safer and save the state money in the long run.

Many old wave plates are in pretty bad condition and can be difficult to read.

And changing plates makes it more difficult for scofflaws to avoid properly registering, inspecting and insuring their car by putting old plates on them. Once the new designs are out on the road in two years, police who see someone driving around with a wave plate will have reason to pull them over.

Here are the requirements for a new RI license plate

According to the DMV, proposed designs should include no more than four colors, including black.

The new plate will need to have the words "Rhode Island" at the center top of the design and the words "Ocean State" across the bottom.

It should avoid designs that are very similar to one of the many specialty charity plates, such as the Plum Island Lighthouse or Red Sox designs.

The DMV prefers dark letters and numbers over light backgrounds, but is open to proposals for a dark background.

The winning design is expected to be announced in March and new plates should start going out in the summer.

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Once the changeover process begins, drivers will get a new plate the next time they re-register their car and they'll be charged an extra $8. The process of replacing 761,000 plates will take two years and should cost the state $2.5 million, according to the DMV.

Who makes the RI license plates

Unlike wave plates, which are made by prisoners at the Adult Correctional Institutions, the new plates will be digitally printed by vendor 3M. At some point the ACI may buy digital printing equipment to be able to make the new plates, Craddock said.

Digital printing allows the new plates to be flat with no raised characters. They can be read by infrared scanners, reducing the number of misreads by automated toll cameras, Craddock said.

How to enter the RI license plate design contest

Anyone looking to submit a design can find a link to the entry website at https://dmv.ri.gov/.

panderson@providencejournal.com

(401) 277-7384

On Twitter: @PatrickAnderso_

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI License Plate Design: How to enter contest to create a new plate