Palmer College of Chiropractic

Evolving the brand of chiropractic’s founding institution.

For more than a century, Palmer College of Chiropractic has been synonymous with the origins of the profession. Its founding legacy defines not just the College but the entire field. Yet that very distinction created a challenge: how to honor a story steeped in history while proving its continued relevance to a new generation of students, faculty, and healthcare partners. 

In a competitive health sciences landscape increasingly defined by innovation and integration, Palmer’s deep roots in tradition risked being misunderstood as resistance to change. The College needed a brand that could celebrate its pioneering heritage while equally championing its role as a leader in evidence-informed education, research, and care.

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The Insight

Palmer needs to boldly celebrate its innovation with the same reverence reserved for its tradition.

Our research revealed that prospective students viewed Palmer as the place where chiropractic began, but not always as the place shaping where it’s going. Meanwhile, alums, faculty, and current students expressed pride in the College’s founding legacy yet wanted to see that spirit of discovery and leadership reflected in the brand today.

This was the heart of the perception gap: Palmer’s reputation for excellence was enduring, but it wasn’t evolving fast enough to match the modern impact of its research, education, and evidence-informed practice. By reframing the story around progress rather than preservation, Palmer had the opportunity to transform its heritage from a point of nostalgia into a living proof point of leadership that connected the origin of chiropractic to its next horizon.

The key ingredient in our success was research. This helped us frame our work in a way that “made sense” to our internal and external audiences and gave us credibility.

James E. O'Connor
Vice Chancellor for Marketing & Communication

The Solution

SimpsonScarborough partnered with Palmer to create a brand strategy that honors the past while advancing the profession’s future. Grounded in research and built around a refreshed positioning, the new narrative reframes Palmer’s legacy as a continuous line from the birthplace of chiropractic to its most forward-thinking leader today.

The brand positioning centers on one enduring truth: Palmer is where chiropractic begins and where it continually evolves. Through brand pillars—Chiropractic Begins Here, Propelling the Future, and Palmer, Everywhere—the strategy connects heritage to momentum, reflecting how Palmer’s influence extends from its historic campuses to research labs, clinics, and classrooms worldwide.

A modernized voice and visual direction further amplify that evolution. By aligning digital storytelling and SEO strategy with how audiences search for purpose-driven healthcare careers, Palmer’s new brand experience celebrates where it started and demonstrates where it’s boldly leading next.

Together, these shifts bring new meaning to a century-old legacy, showing that the institution that built chiropractic is still the one building its future.

The Results

Advancing a historic brand through a modern digital expression.

As part of a comprehensive brand evolution, Palmer College of Chiropractic partnered with us to extend its refreshed identity into the digital space. The web reskin served as a component of the brand launch, using design to showcase how Palmer’s bold story of innovation and leadership continues to evolve. We focused on modernizing the visual system and aligning digital components with the new brand pillars. The updated design brings the new brand to life online, connecting Palmer’s historic foundation as The Trusted Leader in Chiropractic Education®, to its forward-looking mission of continuing to be the largest and best chiropractic school.

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