From The New West Blog
Montana’s New Unreal ID
By Matthew Frank, 6-13-08
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Montana’s new driver’s license was unveiled this week. Is that an elephant in the lower right corner?
Kellyn Brown over at the Flathead Beacon writes: “...the license is so ghastly that no one could ever replicate it. There is so much happening on the new Montana driver’s license, I reckon fake ID production in the state will slow considerably once the new ones are issued.”
The license, Montana’s response to the Real ID law, will start replacing the old one this month. The state’s touting its snazzy colors, hidden images of a miner’s pick and shovel and a silhouette of Lewis and Clark and Sacagawea, a barcode on the back that contains the data from the front, and a vertically oriented version for young drivers to make it clear they can’t buy booze.
What do you think?
[End of article]Where the heck did they get that font? Atrocious.
Comment By Bob Wire, 6-13-08They can make these things look like Picasso's Guernica if they want; there'll always be some minimum-wage peckerhead at a C-store in Missoula who will sell a kid some beer.
Comment By Hugh Healow, 6-14-08Motivated minors will never have too much trouble obtaining alcohol, or at least not enough to divert their pursuits. What I'm wondering is who decided that the "Big Sky" should be rendered in and enticing shade of baby pink.
Comment By JetMech, 6-14-08The "Big Sky Country" should be changed to the really state nickname of "The Treasure State". Big Sky has gotten way out of hand, people believe that this is our nickname already because of the license plates.
Comment By Patia, 6-14-08It's hideous.
I wonder if it was designed by the same person who created our (yawn) generic license plates.
I just can't get all that worked up about it.
Comment By Maggie Wilson, 6-15-08Thank you, Montana. It's about time states do something to distract from those horrid driver license photos.
Now, can we get Real ID changed in the rest of the country and get some sanity into it? It's amazing how few people realize how the government is ripping their identity away with Real ID. Think of all the people who do not go by their first name or go by a nickname as their primary identity. Real ID requires the first name even as many formal records one encounters in the course of a day only allow for a single middle initial. It wouldn't be bad if drivers licenses were not used as ID cards. In other states some people have even been forced to spend considerable money and time to change their names in order to maintain their identity. The U.S. government could have handled this easily by having states add a line on the application for the person's name as it appears on the birth certificate or other base document. Then the person should be able to retain their real identity on their drivers licenses. I've discovered people grow suspicious when they encounter a person using an initial in place of a first name. However, when given a first name and middle initial the same previously suspicious people do not hesitate to accept it. Real ID is not about securing America. It is about tracking Americans.
The guv assured the Homeland Security folks we wouldn't need a federal ID.
He was probably correct.
I can foresee an effort on the part of Montanians to find a way to get their Drivers' Licenses from the nearest adjoining state or province...
I can't imagine the State of Montana has much of a budget for quality designers to design the licenses, I for one am glad they didn't waste money on it. Times are financially tight enough with out them spending a lot of money on designing these things to look "cool". I don't generally worry what my I.D. looks like or care. It's not a fashion statement. And I thank our good Governor for standing up against the real I.D. act. Now I hope saying that doesn't send the Federal Government to shut me up.
Comment By Horst Wagner, 6-15-08I suspect the good guv is as aware of your utterances on this benighted little forum as are any of the feds, nate. You can probably relax...
Comment By Patia, 6-15-08It doesn't cost that much to hire a graphic designer. Lord knows there are enough of them in this state.
Comment By MAzure, 6-16-08Montana has always had blue in connection with our license plates and drivers licenses as far as I can remember. Where did the idea for pink come in? That is atrocious. I agree with anothers comment as to using the Montana State nickname of "The Treasure State". It is a Montana State license after all. Why not use a different animal other than a bear, like an eagle or elk, or moose. The animal that I assume is supposed to be a bear looks more like an elephant or some cartoon bear. I would like the idea of the community members under the age of 21 having their pictures and/or information being vertically on the license or some sort of picture/stamp/style on the back of the license as well on the front so those in the c-stores, grocery stores, liquor stores and bars would have less doubt as to real ID's and fake ID's. Not that they wouldn't still be out there, but for those businesses like I mentioned that aren't set up with the barcode scanning equipment (like the small c-store I worked at for 7 years) may help a little because it's not just Montana ID's we have to be aware of. You are supposed to be able to identify a real and a fake for all 50 states and all 50 states are set up a little different than the next. Sorry, a little more than a comment but was in that world like I said for 7 years. Look at how many different license plates Montana has now for petes sake. Lets not do that with our licenses too!!
Comment By Eric Heidle, 6-16-08Hideous.
Comment By JetMech, 6-16-08MAzure, we should keep the grizzly on the license....after all, it is our state animal.
Comment By MAzure, 6-16-08My comment about the grizzly being on the license or changing it was due to the apperance of the one that is being shown. The grizzlies on the current licenses actually look like a grizzly. The other idea on the change was just a suggestion made in the line of thinking about another animal maybe being more difficult as far as fake ID's go. I do agree that with it being a STATE ID that we should stick to using our state animal as well as the state nickname.
Comment By Horst Wagner, 6-17-08I'm sure the people who are responsible for this decision will be carefully reading the criticism leveled here.
I fully expect to see the grizzly look like a grizzly and the subsitituion of Treasure State for Big Sky County on the final product...
Did they arrange to have space for the driver's name somewhere in the design, one wonders?
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