If you are beginning your journey into becoming a mixtape cover maker here are a few tips from the dope graphics department over at the Mixtape Cover Store.
First, build a large stock photo collection. You never know when you may need an image or when a small thing like a moon for the background sky could make such a huge difference in your mixtape design. Plus, the more pre-cut (background removed) stock images you have on hand, the more creative you can be. And your mixtape designs will become much easier.
Second, you can never have too many fonts. Never. Ever. Period. Granted, certain fonts are the industry standard, but for text like the title, you can be as creative as possible. Sometimes, just choosing the title font is the hardest part in finishing a graphic design.
Third, if you admire the style of a mixtape design, just download the cover artwork. Then study what you like about the graphics. Open the image in Photoshop and try to mimic each effect used to create that mixtape design. Be sure to check out the Mixtape Cover Store, they have great mixtape templates to get you started.