Chapter 80, The History of Pakistani Visual Communication Design on Trucks: A Chronicle of Mobile Artistry and State Plates Project in the US

In the realm of vernacular design, few phenomena capture the imagination quite like the kaleidoscopic world of Pakistani truck art. This distinctive form of mobile expression, which transforms utilitarian vehicles into traveling galleries, represents one of South Asia's most compelling examples of democratic art—where the mundane metamorphoses into the magnificent through an alchemical blend of folk tradition, religious devotion, and contemporary visual culture.

Origins and Evolution: From Necessity to Cultural Phenomenon

The genesis of this mobile artistry can be traced to the 1920s, when the British Raj's expanding road network transformed Pakistan's transportation landscape. What began as simple decorative elements—perhaps a protective talisman or a splash of color to differentiate one vehicle from another—gradually evolved into an elaborate system of visual communication that would come to define Pakistan's automotive aesthetic.

The practice found its initial momentum in the hands of Sikh drivers, who adorned their vehicles with portraits of their gurus, creating mobile shrines that served both devotional and decorative purposes. As the tradition passed into Muslim hands, particularly after Partition in 1947, the iconography shifted to incorporate Islamic calligraphy, Sufi saints, and geometric patterns, while retaining the fundamental impulse toward transformation and transcendence.

The Language of Design: A Vocabulary of Visual Elements

Pakistani truck art operates through a sophisticated visual grammar that combines several key elements:

Color Theory and Application

The palette is unabashedly maximal, employing primary colors in their most saturated forms. Blues, reds, and yellows dominate, creating a visual vibration that ensures visibility across vast distances. This chromatic boldness serves both practical and aesthetic purposes—making vehicles visible in dusty conditions while expressing the cultural preference for vivid colors found in traditional textiles and architecture.

Structural Hierarchy

The decoration follows a complex but consistent hierarchical system:

The front face typically features religious imagery or protective symbols
Side panels showcase narrative scenes, landscapes, or portraits
The rear panel often carries witty aphorisms or poetic couplets
The undercarriage and wheels feature geometric patterns and floral motifs

Technical Innovation: From Hand-Painting to Modern Methods

The evolution of techniques mirrors the broader trajectory of graphic design technology:

1. Traditional Hand-Painting

Utilizing enamel paints and fine brushwork
Requiring months of meticulous labor
Producing unique, unrepeatable results

2. Chamak Patti (Contemporary Period)

Incorporating reflective materials and cut vinyl
Enabling faster production and standardization
Creating new aesthetic possibilities through mixed media

Social Dimensions: Beyond Mere Decoration

The significance of truck art extends far beyond its aesthetic appeal. These mobile canvases serve as:

Political Commentary

In periods of political upheaval, trucks become rolling billboards for social commentary, with imagery ranging from nationalist symbols to portraits of political leaders. The practice demonstrates how vernacular design can function as a form of grassroots political expression.

Social Advocacy

The medium's effectiveness in social messaging was powerfully demonstrated in the 2019 missing children campaign, where portraits of missing youth were integrated into truck designs. This initiative's success in reuniting families showcases how traditional art forms can be repurposed for contemporary social causes.

Economic Networks

The truck art industry has created its own ecosystem of craftspeople, including:

Master painters (ustad)
Metalworkers
Calligraphers
Materials suppliers
Apprentices (shagird)

Contemporary Challenges and Future Trajectories

The tradition faces several modern challenges:

1. Economic Pressures

Rising costs of materials and labor
Competition from cheaper, mass-produced alternatives
Decreased willingness of owners to invest in elaborate decoration

2. Technological Disruption

Digital printing technologies threatening traditional techniques
Standardization reducing individual artistic expression
Changed aesthetics preferences among younger generations

3. Cultural Preservation Efforts

Museum exhibitions globally celebrating the tradition
Educational programs training new generations of artists
Digital documentation preserving traditional designs

Conclusion: The Road Ahead

Pakistani truck art represents more than mere decoration; it embodies a complex system of visual communication that has evolved over nearly a century. As this tradition navigates the challenges of modernization, its fundamental appeal—the transformation of the ordinary into the extraordinary—remains undiminished. The future of this unique art form likely lies in its ability to adapt while maintaining its essential character as a vibrant expression of Pakistani cultural identity.

In an age of increasing digital homogenization, these rolling canvases remind us that design can still serve as a powerful medium for cultural expression and social cohesion. The highways of Pakistan continue to be galleries without walls, where art moves not just through space but through time, carrying forward a tradition that speaks to both past and future generations.

State Plates Project in the US

The first license plates were issued in the German state of Baden in 1896. Although New York was the first U.S. state to require automobiles have license plates (1901), these plates were made by individual owners (with the owner's initials) rather than state-issued plates. The first state-issued license plates were issued in Massachusetts, beginning in 1903.

Massachusetts was the first state in the United States to manufacture license plates in 1903.These early Massachusetts license plates were made of iron and covered in a porcelain enamel. The background was colored a cobalt blue and the number was in white. Along the top of the plate, also in white, were the words: "MASS. AUTOMOBILE REGISTER." The size of the plate was not constant; it grew wider as the plate number reached into the tens, hundreds, and thousands.

In 1924, New York and California had each manufactured and issued 1,000,000 license plates. In the United States, license plates are manufactured in correctional facilities which are state or quasi-state owned. Only Alaska, Hawaii and Oregon license plates are manufactured by a privately owned facility but the license plates are issued or distributed by the state government.

The earliest license plates were made of leather, wood and porcelain. The state of Delaware still permits the use of porcelain license plates. Idaho was the first state to manufacture license plates with a graphic –a potato in 1928. Maine was the first state to employ a motto (Vacationland), but by the Depression almost every state was touting something. Pennsylvania manufactured the first custom, vanity or personalized license plate in 1931. As Americans became more prosperous, custom or official vanity license plates became very popular. The increased fees for custom, personalized or vanity official license plates have earned the states hundreds of millions of dollars and a great source of tax revenue for education (colleges), wildlife conservation and other projects.

With the 1970s introduction of pearlescent plate that replaced embossed plates, American plate design deteriorated markedly. It became crude, busy and tasteless.

Massachusetts

Main

Georgia

California

Mississippi

Minnesota

Illinois

Arkansas

Louisiana

Connecticut

Missouri

Delaware

Iowa

Texas

Vermont

New Hampshire

West Virginia

New York

Nebraska

Alabama

Tennessee

North Carolina

South Carolina

Idaho

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Washington

Nevada

Oklahoma

Arizona

Utah

South Dakota

Florida

New Mexico

Louisiana

New Jersey

Michigan

Kansas

Montana

Rhode Island

Indiana

Colorado

Alaska

Hawaii

Kentucky

Wyoming

State Plates Project

Fifty American graphic designers were challenged by the Atlanta-based designer Jonathan Lawrence to “redesign each state’s license plate with an eye toward the restraint and sophistication of yesteryear”. Lawrence thoughtfully has observed that:

“Old license plates have so much character and attention to detail. Our old metal plates combined good design and functionality, and somewhere over the last 50 years, that good design part got lost. Today’s plates don’t have half the character the old ones do.”

This project merits to be included in the History of Graphic Design.