I always try to stay away from gradients for logos. A good logo should have the ability to be faithfully reproduced in all mediums. Have you seen the results of a complex gradient embroidered? It’s not pretty.

Of course, you can have different versions of the logo, but in this case, it’s not the more the merrier. IMHO.

Very cool.. I like the gradient used when masked behind the black (#22). Awesome examples you compiled. Thanks for the info

These types of logos although good for inspiration aren’t really feasible in real life situations. Unless the logo will only ever be used on a web site, these types of 4 color logos are expensive to reproduce for printed materials like corporate stationery. True it can be done and often is, but let’s get real here. Not every company can afford to repeatedly produce 4 color stationery. I’d like to see a gallery of “real” logos. Those that work as one color, two color, etc. None of these logos would translate well to a one color version. It’s easy to come up with logos that don’t need to be practical. A true logo design will be able to adapt to any situation or use. None of these would.

I think that if designed and used well gradients especially those that are subtle can look great in logos. It’s true that a logo should be able to stand out on it’s own and be adaptable in any situation – but am sure the above logos have variations for uses in one colour etc in their respective style guides