WNW MIXTAPE: SYNTH YOU'VE BEEN GONE
Here's a mixtape that's almost as much fun to say aloud as it is to listen to. Featuring perhaps one of the most overused yet still somehow under-appreciated instruments, Synth You've Been Gone finds WNW Member #5187 Nick Ceglia weeding through a dark world of bad synthesizer sounds and resurfacing with 14 gems. The party's capped off with "Sound and Vision" by the late David Bowie, who may be late but will always remain fashionable.
We also caught up with Nick to see what life is like as a full-timer on the creative team at Chipotle. Direct all "burrito buck" questions to him; we can't help you.
You can open the mixtape in Spotify here.
Tell us a little bit about your background. Who is Nick Ceglia and how did he get here?
I’m a photographer turned graphic designer turned copywriter, and I now write about burritos for a living. Been a curvy road to where I’m at, but I’m happy to have a background in a few areas.
What’s it like being part of the in-house creative team for Chipotle? Any tasty discounts?
It’s great—super fun to write for. We have a small creative team with very talented designers, and the company as a whole really values creativity and good design. And yes, plenty of tasty discounts. See me for some burrito bucks.
We’re big fans of your tumblr coverundercover. Did you discover a particular book cover undercover that lead you in search of other hidden gems? What was the most unexpected cover undercover you discovered? (Say that ten times fast and then answer it.)
The first cover I discovered was a French-English dictionary. I originally bought it for the jacket design and I didn’t find the design underneath it for a while. I think that was the most unexpected because they’re both great covers. It got me psyched and I started thinking about how many others I missed.
What % of the time do you listen to music while you work? Who are some of your favorite musicians/artists?
Quite a bit. My playlist is a good synth-themed mix of what I’m into. There’s some indie stuff, Talking Heads, Devo, and I got to fit in a Paul McCartney jam that’s pretty bizarre. Also looking forward to the impending Wolf Parade reunion.
What are you working on these days?
I’m currently working on what our packaging will be after our Cultivating Thought series comes to a close, which is pretty exciting.
What are some top tips you can offer creatives based on your area of expertise?
I think it’s good to try and not get bummed on small projects. Especially when you work in-house, you don’t always get sexy projects and a lot of it is working on the little aspects that make the brand what it is. If you can find a way to make a bathroom sign or some receipt tape funny, it can be pretty rewarding.