PricewaterhouseCoopers bravely stood by their long name for decades, but just recently caved in to the acronym. I liked the old quirky thing.

Not sure about elegance, but stacking words appears to be a popular approach -
Nokia Siemens Networks, Cable & Wireless Communications, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, etc.

The one liner I personally liked the best is this one, which sadly enough lasted only few months.

Will this logotype be used in only one place -- across the top of a web page -- or might it eventually be used other places where the available space might be more limited (like a small web ad, or a business card, or a postage-stamp-size link graphic)?

A very long, one-line logotype can be a real problem in situations like that, as you may need to reduce the type to a tiny size.

So my advice is to stack it on two or more lines, unless you're absolutely sure you'll never need to reduce it to a small size.

You also might try using the acronym as the logo, and then spell out the full name in smaller type below or beside it. Then if you're faced with situations with very limited space, you could just use the acronym alone.

I think Stephen and I may be the only two that actually liked the old PWC logotype. It seemed universally loathed by the design industry for some reason.

Ah – if you guys liked the old PWC logo, can you explain what was good about that happily-jumping-about «Waterhouse» bit? Serious question (because I never got that).

Saves space. Not boring. Memorable.

I'd agree...it's a quirk that's immediately recognizable. (I also equated it to water = waves)

Aha. Thanks!