How to Decorate a Mixtape

The mixtape phenomenon began in the 1960s with the advent of cassette players and recorders.

Mixtapes are like personal letters, conveying feelings and emotions through a collection of music. Given as gifts or kept as a personal soundtrack, mixtapes become more special over time; playing them can instantly transport you back to a specific time or event in your life. The decoration on a mixtape, which includes CDs as well as cassette tapes, should be as special as the music itself, especially if the mixtape is a gift for someone special.

Things You'll Need

• Cassette or CD case
• Adhesive-backed tape or CD label
• Existing cover to use as a template
• Card stock

Instructions

1. Name your mixtape. Assign a name to your tape that honors the emotion it is meant to convey, such as "Love in the Spring" or "Heartbroken." If the mixtape is a soundtrack for a road trip or workout, entitle it appropriately, such as "Vegas or Bust" or "New York Marathon."

2. Label the cassette or CD with the name of the mix. Write with permanent markers directly on the adhesive-backed label or use a template in your desktop publishing program to design and print the label. Attach the label directly to the cassette or CD.

3. Make a cover for the mixtape. Use an existing cover as a template and trace it onto a blank piece of card stock in the color of your choice. Use scissors to cut out the cover.

4. Decorate the front of the cover. Let the theme of the tape guide your design; use any technique with which you are comfortable. For a collage cover, find images that relate to the theme of the tape, cut them out and glue them to the cover, paying attention to balance and color. If you have artistic talent, draw on or paint the cover using your medium of choice. Use a desktop publishing program and a cover template for a more professional look.

5. Add the song list to the back of the cover. Write it by hand with a permanent marker or type the list in a word processing program, print it and glue it onto the cover. Alternatively, print the list directly onto the cover. Set your margins properly so that the list fits the dimensions of the cover. Print a sample to ensure a good fit before printing directly onto the cover.

Resources

• Esquire; How to Make the Perfect Mix Tape; Matt Saldana