I like the old ones better.
StevieC, Illinois seems to be using the Ontario model, new plates came out in 1984, stayed the same until a redesign in 2000 or so, and have been the same since with no sign of a new design coming any time soon. Personally, I think a redesign every 5 years or so is not unreasonable. For a while at least, it makes it easy for LEO's to see who's current on their registrations. And some of the plates I've seen are barely readable due to corrosion.