Mix It Up

By Amanda Neville

Last year, one of my friends started a Mix Tape Club. We agreed to update the format (CDs instead of tapes) — but not too much (no iTunes playlists because it’s more fun to get something in the mail). Another friend, Paul Boucher, designed the logo because what’s more official than a logo?

And so it began. On or around the first of the month, one of us mailed a CD to the other eleven members. What fun it was to get a package in the mail on a regular basis!

The mix of musical tastes ranged from indie Brooklyn bands to classic rock to soul and R&B — and everything in between. I love how each play list relates to its month or the theme of the mix, and how the whole package represents different personalities.

It was a great creativity kick-starter. I deal in words and design every day but I’d forgotten how much strategy and design goes into making a mix. It was a refreshing challenge to think about tempo and rhythm. You have to start with a theme or point of view, a message that you’re trying to convey, to help narrow your focus. Do you stick with familiar artists or go with a mix of old and new? How many tracks is enough? What’s the pacing of the playlists? How long are the transitions, and are they smooth fade-outs or hard breaks? I agonized over mine for hours one night. It was so fun for me.

Like other non-designers in our group, I enlisted a professional to help me design the cover art (thanks @btraylor!) as well as the liner notes (thanks, Julia!). I figured I was representing for Thinkso so it had to look good.

The membership is closed and access to the Facebook page is restricted, so this is a peek inside our little project: