35,000 Ohio License Plates Printed Before Authorities Realize Design Mistake
‘Sunrise in Ohio’, the state’s newest license plate design and its first since 2013, was abruptly sunsetted when members of the public pointed out that the Wright Flyer depicted in it was facing the wrong direction.
Ohio wanted to pay homage to Wright Brothers, who lived most of their lives in the state. It thus poured more than a year into working on a graphic with a time-appropriate plane, drifting into the sunrise and carrying a flag reading, “Birthplace of Aviation.”
One drawback: The aircraft was pictured backward, making it appear as if the banner was leading the plane by the nose.
This morning Governor Mike DeWine and Ohio BMV Registrar Charlie Norman unveiled Ohio's new standard license plate. The new plate will be available to drivers starting Dec. 29. Ohio last updated its standard license plate design in 2013. pic.twitter.com/tIOaeycgh5
— Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (@Ohio_BMV) October 21, 2021
Newsweek notes that the front of the Wright Flyer resembles the tails of today’s aircraft, which explains why the designers got confused.
In other fun Ohio license plate news, it's been brought to my attention that the Wright Brothers plane is backwards. pic.twitter.com/yS1qFTqjHf
— Jen Steer (@jensteer) October 21, 2021
Funnily enough, public records obtained by the Associated Press—including emails documenting the design process—reveal that the Ohio Department of Public Safety went through multiple revisions over the 15 months it spent working on the plate, yet had no qualms about the problem that was hidden in plane sight. Edits for saturation of colors, legibility, and symbolism of graphics were made, while the plane looked the same the whole time.
By the time the mistake was pointed out, 35,000 license plates had already been printed.
The Columbus Dispatch reports that Ohio quickly recycled the plates after learning of the blunder and made the corrections. Residents can now collect the new license plates, with the airplane flipped in the right direction.
Ohio launches new license plate ​​​​​​​– with Wright Flyer flying in the right direction https://t.co/PHmW3POEd8
— Columbus Dispatch (@DispatchAlerts) January 3, 2022
The latest design will mark the obsoletion of the ‘Ohio Gold’ edition, which was issued between 1997 and 2001. Since this predecessor is more than 20 years old, plates might have faded and could pose a public safety risk.
[via The Columbus Dispatch and Newsweek, images via various sources]
