>>8524806>...How far are we talking when it comes to 'alternate designs'?Hard to say. A lot of Nichijou designs are simple enough to a point where doing even really small changes can make a pretty huge impact on the whole of the character. Its a matter of taking something you want to change (hair, clothes, colors, skin, etc) and doing something unique with them while still maintaining some sense of familiarity with the original designs.
what a good example of that is off the top of my head? I dont know. I think the long hair yuuko was distinct enough while still obviously being yuuko. I cant explain exactly why but it just works for me for some reason.