adobe illustrator - Technically, what are the prime gotchas that could affect your logo further down the road, if it incorporates justified* fx & blend mode treatments?

Explanation

(*Justified meaning they favorably add to the identity and aesthetics; i.e. we're assuming that they make perfect sense in a structural meaning.)

I'm looking for technically specific examples pertaining to particular treatments; less theory on aesthetics.

Reason for my question is that I wish to get a better sense for what's considered 'elaborate' and not.

Again, keep in mind that we assume that these treatments makes good sense in terms of representing the identity. Question relates to the 'tipping point', where you'd say, this ain't worth it, even if it helps better present the brand identity – i.e. where do the technical/practical consequences of (which particular) treatments overshadow any advantages of a more favorable identity representation?

Please restrict the answers to Illustrator.

Examples of the treatments I'm referring to

Might be things like Inner Glow, Drop Shadow, SVG filters, miscellaneous blending modes – you name it.

Examples of consequences I'm referring to

Might be display incompabilities, software incompabilities (notorious or not), printing problems (printshops commonly rejecting certain mixtures), RIP issues and basically, what have you.

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Background

This question is not about justifying effects and 'elaborate' treatments. It's about situations where you'd find such to be favorable, but where you'll have to consider their technical implications.

Comments such as this, is what made me curious to open this question thread (this is not directed to you personally, Scott) :

"I don't use effect on logos. I design flat shapes for logos" …

Answer

To bring it down to the simplest statement: Avoid any treatment that requires transparency effects (including use of blend modes, drop shadows, etc.), gradients or textures in the basic design of the logo, wordmark or logotype. Use solid colors. Be sure it works reversed out of a dark field as well as on a light field.

Once you have that basic shape and color(s), you can to embellish it with effects appropriate for a given context (the Google logo on screen has embossing, the UPS logo on its trucks and planes has a gradient), but the logo must not depend on them to be distinctive or recognizable. These are treatments applied to the basic logo form, not basic parts of the logo itself.

Great case study that illustrates these points here.