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Good call. I didn't even notice that it was an "Apple Promotion." 

Chicago is no longer bundled with macOS, but some of the characters from Susan Kare's Chicago are still used in Krungthep and Silom.

Well how about that. I see no difference at all.

Just to let people know, this is the final version of the logo that my boss wanted. I personally like the other concepts better, but I guess everyone has different taste.
 

Good call. I didn't even notice that it was an "Apple Promotion." 

Good call. I didn't even notice that it was an "Apple Promotion." 

Starting in black and white is just to get the basic form down. The logo should be effective in black and white as well as in color. Multiple colors are fine, but as a general rule, don't go too overboard with them. But, these are just general rules, and can be broken. There are plenty of logos that use a full range of colors. Gradients in logos are often frowned up, just because they can become very difficult to reproduce across a variety of mediums. For example, if it's being printed in one color, embroidered, etc., it becomes difficult to reproduce with gradients, especially gradients between two different colors. There are also plenty of successful logos that use gradients. It all really depends on how it will be used.
 
So, your question about why logos like the one you linked to sell...because there is really nothing wrong with it. They stuck with the general rule (remember, it can be broken) of using only a few colors. Take a look at it again, if you remove the red from the image, it's only two colors; black and cream. Subtract that cream color, and you're left with just black and white...the starting point if you were using the approach we've mentioned. Again, the logo should be effective in black and white as well as in color (meaning, colors added). 
 
 
Also, there is nothing inherently wrong with using a stroke around your design...so long as it is done appropriately. Take a look at this piece by Von Glitschka. Here he has a design that is littered with color: white, gray, blue, and two shades of yellow. He's got multiple strokes going on, but notice how he has used it? It's definitely a large part of the design, and not just added as an afterthought. Take notice of how he's also created an alternate design used for printing on the swim caps, the gym bag, and the building door. It's still the same general idea, just reduced detail for a different application. Von takes a very systematic approach to his designs. He starts with pencil and paper, works up a concept, then draws that out on a computer. He will print that out, go over the design with pencil to add more detail, and repeat. Similar to this here where he is working on the each level of detail at a time. That's likely how he got to the level of strokes on the scorpion design that he did. I just wish he had a photo of that project in process. 
 
Anyway, I hope I'm not confusing you with information overload, or mis-communicating anything. Any other questions, just ask. I'll try to watch this thread closely.

Always glad to offer pointers where I can. You'll eventually get there. 
 
 
 
I agree with SrPx here. If you are worried about what background it goes on, switch the colors up. Don't be afraid to make it all one color. Here at work, we have three different versions of our company logo. Each is one solid color. One in white for black/dark backgrounds, and one in blue, another in black for white/light backgrounds, depending on the application situation.
 
However, don't feel like one color is absolutely necessary. One of our competitors has a "main" logo that is four colors. They also have a couple of solid, one color options, depending on how they need to use it. Best thing to do would be ask the client what they foresee their application needs being. Really, there could be a million ways they use it, and each can have a unique way of being displayed. Even something printed on the back of a t-shirt with a dozen other "sponsor" companies (generally one color) can be different than a banner hanging from the front of a stage (multi-colored).
 
And yes, as SrPx points out, don't feel like actual tangible paper is the only way to sketch. It's my personal method, but there are many other ways to do the job. I guess my main point is to not jump straight into Designer and throwing down vector shapes and hoping something nice comes out of it. Yes, it will sometimes work out fine, and many people are great at that. But I'm of the opinion that sketching out some concepts first will only help you realize what ideas are good, and which ones aren't, and can often be done quicker this way. It's a way to get the idea out of your head and into a format that you can see and have saved as quick as possible so you can move on to the next idea. Whether that is with pencil and paper, iPad or similar tablet, or a graphics tablet and any sort of app that will let you draw on your computer, the concept is the same.
 
Here's one final suggestion if you haven't done so yet. Hop onto Pinterest and search for logo design. Go poke around on logopond.com and logospire.com. Check out what other designers are doing. You'll see a lot of flat designs. You'll see a lot of simplistic designs. You'll see almost no text outlined with strokes. But most of all, you'll see some great logos that can and will hopefully spark some ideas. Best of luck, we are here to help offer pointers where we can. And remember, have fun doing this!

Oddly enough, I started my schooling in Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning. After the first year of classes, I realized I wasn't as passionate about it as I thought I was. It was actually an assignment in my landscape graphics class that helped sway me into the graphic design field. Each student had to design a logo for an annual conference the university hosted. I loved the assignment and the final logo I came up with, as did the directors of the conference, so it was chosen as that year's branding. I have that drawing framed and hanging in my bedroom as a reminder of where this all started.

The last five are finally approaching "logo" territory. My personal opinion is that the third to last is your strongest one (just plain white, microphone in the negative space). In the last two, the microphone and light beam are severely off center, and I'm sure that wasn't intentional. Utilize your alignment tools. Center everything to each other.
 
Here's a pro tip with logo design...start off in just black and white. Once you have a design that will effectively work in black and white, and is still legible at around 1cm (1/2 inch), then you can start to introduce some color. Not a lot of different colors though. You'd be best to limit it to a few colors (which you've generally done). Try to avoid gradients of any kind.   
 
Here's an example of what you could do. Take your third to last design, the solid white one with a silhouette of a microphone. Make the outside ring the teal color. Add a little bit of a space between the thick outside ring and the inside shape. Tada! Simple, scaleable, and also works in just black and white.
 
Also, beware of strokes, especially added to text. That can be a designer's worst enemy. Strokes are not always your friend! I'm guessing the reason why your text came out that way is because you were adjusting the scale of objects, but the stroke didn't scale with it. 

The last five are finally approaching "logo" territory. My personal opinion is that the third to last is your strongest one (just plain white, microphone in the negative space). In the last two, the microphone and light beam are severely off center, and I'm sure that wasn't intentional. Utilize your alignment tools. Center everything to each other.
 
Here's a pro tip with logo design...start off in just black and white. Once you have a design that will effectively work in black and white, and is still legible at around 1cm (1/2 inch), then you can start to introduce some color. Not a lot of different colors though. You'd be best to limit it to a few colors (which you've generally done). Try to avoid gradients of any kind.   
 
Here's an example of what you could do. Take your third to last design, the solid white one with a silhouette of a microphone. Make the outside ring the teal color. Add a little bit of a space between the thick outside ring and the inside shape. Tada! Simple, scaleable, and also works in just black and white.
 
Also, beware of strokes, especially added to text. That can be a designer's worst enemy. Strokes are not always your friend! I'm guessing the reason why your text came out that way is because you were adjusting the scale of objects, but the stroke didn't scale with it. 

Good call. I didn't even notice that it was an "Apple Promotion." 

Such a great redesign of the package. I do have a couple of little nitpicks to watch out for in future presentations though.
 
At first, I was questioning why a rough, wooden surface was reflecting the packages. Then I thought, maybe it is meant to be a glass surface appearance on the table top. But the back wall isn't reflecting at all as one would expect. I also noticed that the reflection was actually a rotation of the three packages and not a true "reflection."
 
Overall, amazing job with your design, just be aware of the small details in the future.

Good call. I didn't even notice that it was an "Apple Promotion." 

Good call. I didn't even notice that it was an "Apple Promotion." 

Tried that many times. Like I said, it works fine until enough gunk builds up in the very tiny little box chamber around the ball that it works its way out into the area where the equally tiny optical encoder wheels that translate rotation of the ball into digital quadrature signals & clogs them.
 
It isn't the ball itself getting dirty that is the problem, it is that there is no way to get to the stuff that gets trapped inside the mouse out of it.

Good call. I didn't even notice that it was an "Apple Promotion." 

Good call. I didn't even notice that it was an "Apple Promotion." 

Good call. I didn't even notice that it was an "Apple Promotion." 

So fast he even outran his own shadow! Fun image.  :D

Good call. I didn't even notice that it was an "Apple Promotion." 

Whole note = semibreve
Half note = minim
Quarter note = crotchet
Eighth note = quaver

Good call. I didn't even notice that it was an "Apple Promotion." 

Good call. I didn't even notice that it was an "Apple Promotion." 

Good call. I didn't even notice that it was an "Apple Promotion."