ABOUT THE DAY
Understanding cancer is for everyone — not only specialists.
Cancer Literacy Day is a European public movement that helps people find, understand and use reliable information about cancer — with confidence and without fear.
BORN FROM CURTAIN
A project about opening access to knowledge.
Cancer Literacy Day grows directly out of the CURTAIN project, which was conceived to move cancer knowledge from specialised spaces into ordinary life — making information more understandable, more usable and closer to people’s everyday lives.
The metaphor of the curtain suggests that something previously distant, complex or hidden can be opened up — allowing people to see, ask, understand and act with greater confidence. Cancer Literacy Day carries that purpose forward as a durable public symbol, designed to stand on its own and travel across Europe long after the project ends.
THE SYMBOL
The question mark as a ribbon
The question mark
Curiosity, dialogue and the right to ask. Understanding cancer begins with asking better questions.
The ribbon
Care, solidarity and the long tradition of cancer awareness — a sign of attention and connection.
The gradient
A movement from uncertainty to clarity: from question, to understanding, to action.
A WARMER, MORE HUMAN LANGUAGE
The palette deliberately avoids cold, clinical codes. It speaks about cancer without being frightening, and about public health without feeling institutional.
Deep Navy
Trust & credibility
Purple
Reflection & depth
Pink
Empathy & care
Peach
Warmth & optimism
Cream
Clarity & calm
We ask
Curiosity and the right to ask come first. No question about cancer is too small.
We understand
We make sense of uncertainty and learn to recognise information we can trust.
We act
Better questions lead to better choices — for ourselves and our communities.
Be part of the movement.
Explore the resources, share the question, and help bring cancer literacy into everyday life across Europe.