I think the more creative freedom we give Chris, the better the end result will be. Just my two cents, based on my experience working with creative types from ad agencies, etc. I would be very careful about giving direction about what angle, what color, etc. We might ironically end up with exactly what we want, yet something less than what the artist is capable of--and we wouldn't want that, would we?
I think giving Chris total creative freedom is especially important (1) early in the creative process and (2) since we all probably have something different in mind anyway. I trust Chris enough to do a fantastic job--if he is looking for input from us at any point along the way, I would be happy to contribute, but only upon his request.
Looking forward to it!