Crayon-Generated Logo?

Since I’m loving the concept of putting your company’s logo in the hands of your customers, I thought I’d share an initiative by an El Paso County children’s museum.

flickr: cambodia4kidsorg

The Pikes Peak Children’s Museum, still in the early stages, is asking the children of the community to inspire the design of the logo. They’re holding a content until April 17th open to all children aged 1 -11.

That’s right, aged 1 to 11! However, the top designs are simply going to be inspiration for a professional graphic designer who will prepare the final logo design. I’m curious to see just how much of the children’s drawings are carried over to the final logo. Contractually, how much liberty can the designer take?

According to the Colorado Springs Gazette,

Five designs will be chosen on April 20 by a panel from the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center and the Bemis School of Art. These five will be displayed in all branches of the Pikes Peak Library District, and the public will choose the top three.

The winning designs will be showcased in the museum and the kids will receive gift certificates for an art class in the area as well as an artist’s kit.

This is a bit different from our previous conversations about Burger King and Firefox because it is about building an existing brand rather than putting an established brand in the customers’ hands. There is no sanctity to be preserved, necessarily.

Who knows whether the final product will be anything like what the kids come up with, but getting them involved is an important first step for return visits. That sense of ownership over a community staple is important for the success of the museum.

What do you think? Is this effort taking it a bit to far? Will the kids be disappointed if the designers takes too many liberties when designing the final logo?