In design for the real world, absolutely avoid gradients. But in design for the screen, subtle gradients can help add a nice shade of realism or texture.
For example: Holiday Inn Express just redesigned their logo to look like some Web-2.0-style icon thing with gradients and drop shadows. They look absolutely horrible on signage. They look like gas station signs now.
Sorry, forgot to put in my last post. Check out my blog at http://www.impactsignbc.com/ . I try and put out useful tips and ideas for different types of signage. Hope you find it useful
For example: Holiday Inn Express just redesigned their logo to look like some Web-2.0-style icon thing with gradients and drop shadows. They look absolutely horrible on signage. They look like gas station signs now.