Tennessee has a new license plate design – the first total revamp since 2006.
This year, motorists will trade the idyllic design of the former plate – depicting green hills and black lettering against white – for a more matter-of-fact one. The new design features a dark blue background, white lettering and the state’s tri-star emblem in its center.
Representing East, West and Middle Tennessee, the three encircled stars have become a beloved state symbol, proudly sported on everything from our flag to our ball caps to our tumblers. The addition of the tri-star was part of the redesign’s goal. Other criteria included the display of the words “Tennessee” and “tnvacation.com.”
Mock-ups were made, and in September, Tennesseans were invited to vote on one of the four proposed designs. More than 300,000 participated and the winning plate received 42% of all votes.
A state license plate, says Paul Rustand, director of Chattanooga design agency Widgets & Stone, “is an opportunity to present some sort of personality to the rest of the country.”