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Chuck, that's a great thought. In print I design using black and white logos far less than using any other single color from the Pantone array. When I have to choose one color for print I often pick anything BUT black.

I do like the way using one color in a field of logos helps to "level the playing field" when choosing between a few logos. By focusing on one less property of design, I can make more accurate choices about the mark itself. The best color for this in my designs is often black, the color with the most visual contrast against white.

Do you ever feel as if the creative constraints of using one color help you to stretch your creative thinking?

Yes, I think it does stretch your creative thinking--but I question why. Now that original reasons for not including color as a component (expense and application) are almost gone--I wonder if we would consider color a kind of "cheat" had we not been influenced by the historical system.

Perhaps the requirement of how a logo works in b/w will in fact become an antiquated notion. But for anyone screen printing premiums, or needing to generate cheap paper forms, or embroider a logo onto fabric, or cut vinyl for a door... that's still a big consideration, as is how the logo will perform with no tonal treatment.

Excellent point Bruce. Those mediums, generally speaking, have the same issue with images that include gradations. I'm guessing the industry will (ultimately) adapt to the increased sophistication of the imagery.

I think the strict requirement for a logo to work in black and white is probably over, but it is still a nice added benefit. For instance, when different companies logos are being presented next to each other this is a nice feature. Packaging, posters, or just in blog posts like David Pache's 100 Brands of Interest are just a handful of examples.

I can think of several instances in the past year where I needed a black/white version of a logo. I do a lot of work with nonprofits - and printing in full color is not always an option.

The new Altria logo is a good case in point. Altria was a major sponsor of a local nonprofit event and wanted their logo on the back of the event t-shirt - but the nonprofit could not afford to print 800 t-shirts in full color and the Altria folks could not provide a black/white or greyscale version. Both myself and the promotional company that was printing the t-shirts took a stab at creating a greyscale version of the logo and while it worked well enough, technically it was not an officially sanctioned logo.

In order to control your brand, you've got to offer your brand elements in a variety of formats so that hacks like me aren't forced to manipulate them :)