Develop and apply gradients

I need a final art file with smooth, consistent color transitions for the new logo lockup. Apply a linear or radial gradient so the brand orange graduates to coral across the wordmark, and make sure the gradient follows the letterforms’ shapes rather than the artboard. Target output: vector-only, editable, no rasterized fills. Send the finished AI file to Priya in brand by Thursday for review.

Before I hand this to brand review, make the gradient readable at small sizes and on dark backgrounds. Surface the hex endpoints and the angle up top, show a quick A/B of linear versus radial, and flag any letters where the gradient creates low contrast on the counter or stroke that might fail digital accessibility checks.

I just dragged a linear gradient across the wordmark and the counters on 'a' and 'e' lost definition when scaled. Priya and the digital team will test at 16px and on black background tomorrow and I can’t rework entire glyphs tonight. What likely caused the washout and what’s the fastest fix that preserves the gradient while restoring counter contrast?

Across dozens of brand artifacts we keep restarting gradients for small-screen and print variants, which costs hours each release. Where are we losing time: choosing endpoint colors late, failing to set gradient to object bounds, or not locking gradient to shape layers? Recommend one habit change and a simple naming rule that prevents rework.