Erika Kreilach
Graphic Designer
South Dakota License Plates
South Dakota redesigned their standard “free” plates in 2023, so I and a few colleagues met with them to get a more details and expectations for these new plates. They relayed to us that for both plates Mount Rushmore needed to be the main focal point.
I created several different mockups that included different elements that South Dakota is known for, such as pheasants and the badlands. I collaborated with the state and made revisions they requested, until they were happy with the new plate designs.
Standard plate
I created visual hierarchy by scaling Mount Rushmore to fill the majority of the plate design. The state preferred keeping the size of Mount Rushmore large because it creates a focal point and allows viewer’s to better see their faces.
I balanced the sizing of Mount Rushmore, while also maintaining as much visibility as possible. I had to lighten some areas as well so it didn’t draw attention to the shadows and away from the focal point.
Emblem Plate
This plate allows space on the left for an emblem sticker. The emblem plate uses the same artwork as the standard plate in order to keep consistency. Mount Rushmore’s placed in the bottom center because it’s the placement that had the least amount of graphics overlapping the image.
Highway Patrol Plate
South Dakota requested for this plate redesign to have a black background. The logo is different shades of gray, so I kept that throughout the plate to keep things clean and consistent. I chose a simplified Mount Rushmore so that the Highway Patrol logo was still the focal point.