Caroline MacLean 2025

Abstract

Roots and Tides is a love letter to the people who ground me. It explores relationships, identity, and the ways we express care, specifically through music and design. I’ve always made playlists for people I love. It’s one of the ways I show up. This project is a larger, more intentional extension of that. Each album cover is inspired by a person in my life. Some are family, some friends, and some chosen family. I interviewed each of them, curated a short playlist based on our conversations and our connection, and created a visual language around their energy and aura. Each cover is unique to the individual but designed to exist as part of a collective whole, like a record collection. The name Roots and Tides reflects how these people shape me. Roots keep me steady; tides represent change, movement, and emotional currents. Both are necessary. This project was originally going to include a bound book and custom record case, but I scaled back due to time and resources. Still, I’m proud of what I completed: seven album covers and a gallery space that feels like an extension of my world. Many of the objects in the space are from my own home or my family’s. This process pushed me to play multiple roles: designer, art director, curator, and collaborator. It challenged my time management, decision-making, and ability to synthesize personal and visual storytelling. Ultimately, it’s about the people I love and the language I use to say so.