A Eugene artist has designed a new license plate that will support the Oregon Cultural Trust. It goes on sale next month.
The background of the new plate features an Oregon landscape that includes mountains, a river, and the coast. The foreground features dozens of Oregon cultural and historic symbols.
For Liza Burns, it was unlike anything she had ever created.
“It’s a completely bizarre design challenge," she said.
Burns had to make sure the image would mesh with the other elements like the state name, registration stickers, and of course, the plate numbers themselves.
"It has to sit behind all of the identifying information for the plate, but still somehow stand out," she said. "It’s a lot to pack in to 11-and-a-half by five-and-a-half inches, but I think it worked.”
The new plate supports the Oregon Cultural Trust, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary. The new plates will be available from the Oregon DMV starting October 1. There is a $50 surcharge in addition to the regular license fees. Existing Cultural Trust plates will remain valid.
The Oregon DMV said Oregonians have ordered more than 72,000 of the original Cultural Trust plates since they were introduced in 2003.
A large, mural-size version of Burns’ creation will go on display this fall at Oregon’s four largest airports, including Eugene.
