Get Thousands of Free Cassette Designs on Tapedeck

Download thousands of images of cassettes, the retro object that is making a comeback

On March 11th, it felt like the death of Lou Ottens, the inventor of the cassette tape, signaled the death of his creation. However, nothing could be further from the truth: the cassette tape is back, not just as a piece of design to be admired but a tangible way for independent bands to distribute their music. This has resulted in increased interest in the way they are made.

The site Tapedeck.org is a project created by German graphic designer and street artist Neck Cnse, which showcases the amazing beauty and, sometimes, usualness of the designs.

Below, we share a selection of unique models and explain the story behind this revival.

The birth

On March 11th, 2021, Lou Ottens, the inventor of the cassette tape, passed away at the age of 94.

In the 1960s, Lou Ottens led a team of 40 people who developed the device for the Hasselt company, owned by Eindhoven Philips. In 1964, the design was perfected and sent into mass production in Germany, ahead of being distributed all over the world.

The Idea

Ottens came up with the design while trying to think up comfortable ways to carry music in his pocket. His ultimate goal was to make music transportable so that people could easily take it to their friends' houses.

This wish would be fulfilled in 1979 with the invention of the Walkman. Four years earlier, the emergence of the blank cassette and the possibility of recording music had paved the way for personalizing the music listening experience in a completely individual way.

The decline

Sales of the cassette began to decline around 2004, and the format became obsolete. However, this wasn’t too much of a bow for Ottens, given that he had also been on the team that invented the CD.

An unexpected comeback

According to the consulting firm Nielsen, the use of cassettes has been on the rise since 2018. Consumption increased by 75% in the U.S. market and by 35% globally that year. Experts link this phenomenon to the success of retro products such as the Stranger Things series. In the UK, more tapes were sold in the first half of 2020 alone than in the whole of 2018.

The reasons behind the revival

The revival of the cassette tape is not only about its aesthetic function as a work of design but also its practicality. For the past two years, independent band management platforms such as Bandcamp have reported a 46% increase in cassette sales. This is due to the lower costs involved in manufacturing them, making it easier for independent bands to play their music in their own homes.

A tribute to its design

Tapedeck.org is an archive created by the German artist Neck Cnse that groups thousands of models. Here you will find sober designs from the early 1960s, the colorful joy of the cassettes of the 1970s, and surprising variations and shapes from the 1980s and 1990s.

Its search engine allows you to browse through 150 brands or find different models classified according to running time, manufacturing material, and color. The site also has a store called Tapewear, selling T-shirts featuring some of the most iconic designs.

English version by @eloiseedgington.

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