This is The Big Issue’s Christmas cover, designed by seven year old Dylan Allman, winner of their recent reader competition to create the cover. It’s the first time The Big Issue have ever done this, but I suspect it won’t be the last, as I think this is just great.
The principle is not dissimilar to that which schools get the kids to design Christmas Cards, in order to make parents want to buy them. it creates a sense of community, a feeling of innocence, and the belief that reindeer really are flying through the air.
This is all good, but the reason why this crowdsource cover is so clever, is that the hand prints deliver real human scale. Like the Hollywood pavement, where stars put their hands in the concrete, the work is intimate, immediate, and generates a real sense of connection.
I’m not sure about the script for ‘This is Christmas’, as it fights with the logo, but that’s not going to affect the sale, which I think should be pretty tasty.
Update: My friend and colleague Mike Pretious has just commented, quite rightly pointing out that crowdsourcing childrens’ art is nothing new. As comments can’t take images, here’s his point: Britain’s Christmas stamps from 47 years ago!
