I live in Ohio and like you, absolutely hate the newer OH plate. Even though my plates are old (2 generations back) and I should replace them, I won't put the new pos on my car either. The specialty plates still have the ugly background on them. I'll wait until OH comes out with a new plate design.
Even though I bought a Stillen front bracket, I am running without a front plate. Send a note to Kaisch and ask him to eliminate the requirement for a front plate.