Design / Aaron Nieh Workshop
“Change Me” is a music album produced and performed by Chinese songwriter Wang Leehom. The concept of this album stemmed out of Wang’s attitude towards the environment, and his belief that a better world can be created by changing actions starting with oneself. Consistent to the concept of this album, designer Aaron Nieh adopted a minimal packaging approach. The digipack was made using recycled paper stock, and the only non-biodegradable component of the album was the CD itself. The lyrics booklet also provided tips on how one could change one’s behavior to lessen his or her impact on the environment.
“Change me” uses both the central and peripheral routes to persuasion in bringing the eco-friendly message across. The central process is brought about by the packaging, which is way simpler and more minimal than most album packagings in the Chinese music industry, as well as the repeated messages mentioned in the various songs and in the lyrics booklet. The use of a celebrity to bring across the eco-friendly message constitutes the peripheral process. The use of both processes not only ensure that the attention of music listeners are caught, but also increases the likelihood that the messages would be internalized, and changes brought about by this internalization would be long lasting. Also, tips on how to conserve resources are provided in the lyrics booklet as well, hence eliminating the information barrier where people have to take a further step to search for information on sustainable behavior.