Paige Swanepoel
SVP Marketing, Vynca
When we began this work, the goal wasn’t simply to make something that looked better. We set out to change how people feel, and what they understand, when they encounter palliative care. Palliative care serves millions of people living with serious illness. It improves quality of life. It reduces unnecessary hospital visits. It supports families. It aligns care with patient goals. And yet, it remains widely misunderstood.
Too often, palliative care is associated only with end-of-life care. The language can feel clinical. The imagery can feel sterile. The experience can feel heavy. That misunderstanding has real consequences. It delays engagement. It limits access. It keeps palliative care in the shadows until a crisis forces the conversation.
If we believe serious illness care should be proactive, supportive, and dignified, then the way we present it to the world matters. Design is not decoration. It is positioning.
Every category has a narrative. Some are clear and widely understood. Others are fragmented or stigmatized. Palliative care sits firmly in the latter. For many people, the first time they hear about palliative care is during a hospitalization. The introduction can feel sudden, reactive and overwhelming. So we asked ourselves a simple question:
“What would it look like if serious illness care felt modern, human, and empowering from the very first click?”
Language shapes perception. We intentionally simplified our messaging to focus on what matters most: more comfort, more control, and more quality days at home.
We reduced the jargon. We clarified what palliative care is — and just as importantly, what it is not. Information is structured around the real questions patients and families ask, rather than internal healthcare terminology. When health literacy improves, access improves. Clarity builds confidence.
Serious illness care should never feel cold. We built a visual system designed to balance warmth and credibility: intentional typography, thoughtful whitespace, and a calming yet confident color palette. Black-and-white photography centers on humanity rather than medicalization.
The goal was never to minimize the seriousness of illness. It was to honor it. We wanted the experience to feel grounded. Respectful. Modern. Because the way we present care signals how we value the people receiving it.
One element of the new visual identity draws inspiration from the vinca flower, known for its resilience and ability to thrive in difficult conditions. The petal concept reflects the layered support required in serious illness care — clinical care, care management, and advance care planning working together to support patients and families. The design also introduces color intentionally, bringing warmth and life into a category that has historically been represented through sterile or clinical imagery. The goal was simple: create a visual language that reflects both the strength and humanity of the people living with serious illness.
One paradox of palliative care is that it delivers measurable impact — fewer emergency visits, fewer inpatient admissions, and better alignment between care and patient wishes — yet it often operates quietly behind the scenes.
Our redesign acknowledges that Vynca serves multiple audiences: patients and families seeking support, providers coordinating care, and health plans working to improve outcomes for members with complex needs. Across these audiences, Vynca provides palliative care services, Enhanced Care Management (ECM), and Advance Care Planning software.
We created clearer pathways for each audience — recognizing that they arrive with different needs, questions, and entry points into care. Category perception shifts not only through patient storytelling, but through demonstrating measurable value to the healthcare system.
Palliative care does not need to be positioned as an alternative to traditional healthcare. It is a critical layer within it. Thoughtful design can help make that integration — across clinical care, care management, and advance care planning — more visible.
This redesign is grounded in something deeper than aesthetics.
Palliative care works.
When delivered proactively and at scale, it reduces emergency department visits by 43% and lowers inpatient admissions by 52%. It extends hospice length of stay — giving patients and families more supported time when it matters most. It also generates meaningful cost savings for health plans while improving alignment between care and patient goals.
Yet despite this evidence, adoption still lags. The barrier is not impact. It is understanding. If a model of care demonstrably reduces avoidable utilization and improves quality of life — but remains misunderstood — then the opportunity is not only clinical. It is narrative. Design and messaging become vehicles for unlocking access to something that already works.
Our goal was to ensure the digital experience reflects the rigor behind the outcomes. When a health plan executive, provider partner, or family member visits Vynca’s site, they should see both humanity and evidence — compassion supported by measurable results.
Because serious illness care should not have to choose between heart and data. It requires both.
At Vynca, we believe serious illness care should be proactive, human, and grounded in what matters most to patients and families. This new experience is one step toward making that care easier to understand — and easier to access.
Learn more about our palliative care services.
To learn more about how Vynca can support your practice, or to refer a patient today, visit vyncacare.com, email us at hello@vyncacare.com, or call 1-888-227-8884.