Maybe “semi-canon” isn’t the best way to describe my idea. Here’s what I mean.
Here are two different canon (I think) pictures of Thok. They have vastly different art styles, and feature slightly different designs, but they’re clearly the same character, right?
Similarly, these two pictures have drastically different art styles, and feature slightly different designs. But they’re still clearly depicting the same character.
What if instead of having one absolute winner, there were 3-5 winners, with each design being equally official? This way, we get a canon design, but not a 100% set-in-stone one. So one person could say, “I like this entry’s mask, but I prefer that one’s torso,” while another could say, “I like this entry’s weapon but I like the details on that one.”
There’d be a general design, but some of the details would be left to people’s own preferences.