Case study # Unifying two brands in one bold home Updated July 15, 2026 Brand Strategy Creative Website Design Website Development Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers on the planet. But PCNA's message was diluted across two brands and two websites. We unified them into one uncompromising home that treats the stakes with the seriousness they deserve. [See the Site ](https://www.pancreaticcancernorthamerica.ca/) ![PCNA wordmark on the Aurora gradient with the line Survival, Not Sympathy](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/0838mkru/production/2bf781bcf53e11a3032671f568b33a9b4dace1e4-3840x2160.png) Detail ## Two brands, one message. Pancreatic Cancer Canada and its US counterpart had been running as separate organizations, with separate websites and a message that had softened over the years. Patients, caregivers, and donors were left searching across scattered pages for what they needed. The rebrand was the moment to fix that. Not a fresh coat of paint, but one unified home with a voice bold enough to match the disease it confronts. ![We've raised enough sympathy, in Lora on the Aurora gradient](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/0838mkru/production/f17e7deef2f41e0ab7afd9cb52235262d717b9e3-3200x2400.png) Field note ## Survival, not sympathy. Most cancer charities lean on hope and survivor stories. PCNA does the opposite. We helped shape a voice that is caring and empathetic, but never softens the mortality of pancreatic cancer. It reframed the ask entirely. Supporting this cause is no longer a nice thing to do. It is a necessity, and every line across the site carries that weight. Detail ## Cancer knows no borders. Pancreatic cancer does not respect borders, and neither should the response to it. Uniting the two organizations under one North American banner meant people on both sides could benefit from the same research, the same funding, and the same support. The website is where that union becomes real. One place instead of two. Measured outcomes ## The stakes The numbers are why the tone had to change. Pancreatic cancer is the third deadliest today, on track to become the second by 2050. 013rd → 2nd Five-year survival has moved from 2% in 1975 to 10% today. Progress, but far too slow. 022% → 10% The projected rise in new cases across the population by 2050. 03+95% Detail ## A palette built for urgency. We drew the brand toward the seriousness of the disease. Deeper, more dramatic colour, and a signature gradient we call Aurora that runs from eggplant through blackberry to a raspberry glow. Paired with it are the glow spheres: a quiet symbol of truth, drive, and the people this work is for. ![The PCNA Aurora palette: eggplant, blackberry, raspberry, gold, peach](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/0838mkru/production/86f2bda2be87fce539e9602be24db3407f2aad39-3200x2400.png) ![The PCNA glow spheres on a dark field](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/0838mkru/production/35e2f8fbfa94fef07b3aac71978a13c290190cc5-3200x2400.png) ![A patient on the Aurora gradient beside the line: from a death sentence to a survivable disease](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/0838mkru/production/2f60b07ac09c7df8c965a9f0b7a15adf758a80a5-4800x2700.png) Detail ## Then we built the home. With the brand set, we rebuilt the website around the people who use it. We mapped the journeys of patients, caregivers, and donors, then shaped the architecture around them instead of the org chart. Redundant pages were consolidated and the essentials promoted, so support, research, and ways to give are easy to find and easy to act on. ![PCNA homepage: Survival, Not Sympathy](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/0838mkru/production/5bc4ba69d724df5c36f59cf9e519abc598e1a895-2880x2160.png) ![PCNA Our Support Programs page](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/0838mkru/production/51e5d7019c90fe5e4026672fedc69a9328dd5164-2880x2160.png) ![PCNA research page: Driving Progress in Pancreatic Cancer Research](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/0838mkru/production/086b8849869199ce8eb29dc87b722a4b214e4e07-2880x2160.png) ![PCNA About Pancreatic Cancer page](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/0838mkru/production/bdcfd4e0f7e465d268ec3b193694fad149fea86b-2880x2160.png) Detail ## One credible home. PCNA launched with a single, unmistakable presence, one that treats the stakes with the seriousness they deserve. Internally, the team gained a platform they can actually maintain and grow. The brand that came out of this work is now rolling out across PCNA's other channels, and the site keeps expanding as their team builds on the system. Detail ## The work that matters to us. We do our best work for organizations doing good in the world. It is why we keep coming back to this space, alongside teams like [CCASA](https://www.papercrane.ca/case-studies/ccasa) and [Help for Dementia](https://www.papercrane.ca/case-studies/help-for-dementia). Pancreatic cancer has touched nearly everyone on our team in some way. Getting to push back, even a little, by making this brand land harder and raise more for the cause, is the kind of work we are proud to do. In closing ## Cancer knows no borders. The rebrand is the anchor for everything that follows: campaigns, donor journeys, patient resources. We are still working alongside PCNA as it grows into its new identity. [Visit the Site ](https://www.pancreaticcancernorthamerica.ca/) ![The PCNA mark on the Aurora field with the line Cancer knows no borders](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/0838mkru/production/f6327503afa053622bd582afb965c8fd2f1ca65f-3200x2000.png) ## MORE PROJECTS [ ![CHF BC brand mark](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/0838mkru/production/a8d0f759b9319c79dcd562a05325085989bee6ab-3200x2000.png) Website DevelopmentWebsite DesignSoftware Development+1 ### CHF BC CHF BC's website had served them well, but it had grown dated and hard to change. We rebuilt it on a component system their own team can run, and built a live, Salesforce-connected Co-op Explorer that puts every housing co-op in the province on one map. 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