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automoTYPE

SELF EXPRESSION THROUGH PUBLIC TYPOGRAPHY

license plates vanity plates bumper stickers

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W h e r e a r e w e f r o m ?

Where are we going? Who are we? What

defi nes us? Questions such as these can’t

be answered succinctly. No matter how

carefully we try to articulate who we are,

a fi nite defi nition is impossible to acquire.

We have developed different ways of

attempting to express ourselves, such as:

the clothes we wear, the way we style

our hair, and how we carry ourselves.

Our cars are as much a part of ourselves

as our sunglasses or shoes. Whether

we choose to personalize our license

plate or our bumper, our cars become a

window into our personality.

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Arizona’s license plate is one of my personal favorites. The

simple shillouettes toward the bottom give a great visual as

well as add context to the text “GRAND CANYON STATE.”

B a s i c a l l y i t a l l s t a r t e d

playing a road trip game, you know like

“SlugBug”, but this one involved punching

each others arms as hard as we could

when we saw a license plate from out of

state (being so close to the Missouri border,

we never counted those). As silly as this

game sounds, it sparked my interest in

plates, mainly where they were going and

where they were from. I started to make

a mental inventory of all the different

state’s plates that I’ve seen. What I find

most interesting about this is not the plate

numbers, but the plates themselves.

Each state is distinguishable from one

another, each state is an individual.

Alaska’s license plate proudly displays the date on which

Alaska was made one of the 50 states, commemorating the

50th year anniversary of statehood.

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Illinois’ license plates use a fancy script at the top of their

plate, balanced out by, “The Land of Lincoln,” underneath a

portrait of the 16th president. Voted on in 2000, this was the

state’s fi rst plateredesign since 1984.

Minnesota’s plates encourage onlookers to “EXPLORE.”

Along with the shillouette of the state being centered in the

plate, the plate boasts of Minnesota being the “Land of

10,000 Lakes” when in reality, it has 12,000.

Colorado’s license plates feature an iconic view of the Rocky

Mountains. Aside from the rext reading “COLORADO” at the

bottom border, this design is rather simple but effective.

Illinois’ license plates use a fancy script at the top of their

plate, balanced out by, “The Land of Lincoln,” underneath a

portrait of the 16th president. Voted on in 2000, this was the

plate, the plate boasts of Minnesota being the “Land of

10,000 Lakes” when in reality, it has 12,000.

Colorado’s license plates feature an iconic view of the Rocky

Mountains. Aside from the rext reading “COLORADO” at the

bottom border, this design is rather simple but effective.

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North Carolina’s plates read “First in Flight,” referring to the Wright Brother’s

historic endeavor, also highlighted by the inclusion of the plane.

S o m e t i m e s d r i v e r s o p t t o

get a different type of license plate, but

not necessarily a vanity plate. This vehicle

f rom Kansas has a veteran’s p late, a

specialty plate ordered at the DMV to

display pride in service. In addition to the

This Colorado license plate is similar

to the stock version, only specialized

to represent support for breast cancer

awareness by the addition of “Committed

to a Cure” and a shade of light pink.

t r a d i t i o n a l v e t e r a n p l a t e s , s t y l e s

c o m m e m o r a t i n g h o n o r s s u c h a s

receiving a Purple Heart or Medal of

Honor are also available for purchase.

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T e m p o r a r y t a g s a r e c o m m o n l y

issued by the dealership to grant the new

owner the time to register their car with

the Department of Transportation. Usually

made of paper or cardboard, these can

be applied to the rear bumper or in the

window, but must be replaced by proper

tags before the alotted time has run out.

I saw a temporary license plate the other day, driving down Iowa

Street, that was held in place behind a chrome name plate. I was

immediately intrigued considering the car looked to be a 2012 Dodge

Charger, a car I’d never seen before. When I passed them, I looked

back for a better look, and couldn’t believe what I saw. Not only did

they frame the temporary plate, they already had a vanity plate on

the car!

temporary tags

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W h e t h e r o r n o t t h e d r i v e r

of the car chooses to stay with the issued

plates or upgrade to a vanity plate is

their choice, something I also fi nd very

interesting. Who chooses to get a vanity

plate? And what are the reasons? Vanity

plates are available to everyone, for a

small purchase fee and can say almost

anything you want them to. Symbols and

specialty backgrounds are also offered.

For some vanity plates display school pride or a funny quip, but others,

such as “M ZHANG’s,” which is also mimicked above on the name of

their reserved parking space, seem to say, “I’ve got wads of extra cash.”

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A f e w p l a t e s h a v e s t u c k

with me over the years, such as my

old neighbor’s twin Excursions named

“SOONER” and “BOOMER” – boasting

their University of Oklahoma pride.

This vanity plate, belonging to a professor in the music department,

reads “CHOPIN,” referring to the famous composer Frédéric Chopin.

This BMW, presumably owned by a KU Men’s Basketball player,

reads “BBALLER,” boasting his inclusion into the elite program.

M u c h l i k e v a n i t y p l a t e s ,

f r o n t p l a t e s w i t h d e s i g n s , o r

sayings, are also avaliable for purchase.

They span a wide var iety of topics,

f r o m “ A R M Y W I F E ” a n d “ R U S T Y ”

to a Jayhawk with blue flames or the

K-State and KU symbols facing each

other, symbolizing “A HOUSE DIVIDED.”

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Applying a front plate to your car is a lot like using a bumper sticker, it isnt

something that is required, but it’s something you enjoy or appreciate

enough to make it part of your automotive “personality.” Not surprisingly,

KU front plates seem to be the most popular in Lawrence.

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I t o o k a s p e c i a l i n t e r e s t

i n t h i s t o p i c a f t e r I d i s c o v e r e d

how truly reveal ing bumper st ickers

could be. My best friend’s boyfriend

works del ivery at a local P izza Hut

and has a bumper sticker that reads,

“ONLY SCUMBAGS DON’T T IP.” I ’d

always thought about what the driver

might think once he left without a tip,

but I’d never gotten a true answer.

plastered my bumper full. I’ve cycled

through a lot of stickers within the last

four years*, including some such as:

my Colorado “Happy Camper” sticker

wh ich m imicked the icon ic Rocky

Mounta ins , my “Global War ming i s

Uncool” sticker, and my Obama 08 sticker.

F r o m a v e r y y o u n g

age, I have been fascinated with bumper

stickers. I would beg my parents to let

me put a sticker on their car but they

were adamant about keeping their

bumper clean. When I turned sixteen

and was g iven my g randmother ’ s

old Honda Accord, I almost immediately

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* The stickers that I can’t bring myself to remove are still adhered to

my plastic bumper. Many of the stickers have specifi c meaning to

me (I do actually love trees and Munchers bakery), but some, like

George Bush’s “Why are our children not learning?” sticker, are just

there to be funny. My favorite stickers are my USAFA Fighting Falcon

and my Copper Mountain Resort sticker. I have a special affi nity for

these specifi cally because I got them both on a visit to my brother.

Every time I see these stickers it reminds me how awesome he is, and

how fun the snowboarding trip to Copper Mountain was.

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w h e t h e r o r n o t y o u

choose to personalize your license plate,

back bumper, or front plate, is up to you, but

how other people view and interpret your

car is out of your control. Many people feel

as if their car is an extension of themselves,

and some even name their cars. Even

though you may not be able to tell the

world your car’s name, or your story, you will

always be able to show them. Take pride in

your decorations, they are what makes your

car personal, they are what make it your car.

by MARS DENTON

for Professor Dooley’s Designer as Author

Junior Year, Fall Semester ‘11

SELF EXPRESSION THROUGH PUBLIC TYPOGRAPHY

all photos and text by MARS DENTON

photos taken with iPhone and

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT Digital SLR Camera