case study
The Queen
Originally built in the 1800s, The Queen has lived many lives. She began as a hotel for traveling sailors, became a movie theater, and later stood as a forgotten landmark. In 2011, she made a comeback, reopening as a live music venue in the heart of Wilmington. Today, The Queen stands as one of the city’s most iconic buildings. When the Buccini/Pollin Group, owners and managers of The Queen, asked us to redesign the website in 2020, they gave us one simple instruction: have fun with it. So we did.
Scope of Work
- Copywriting
- Website Design & Development
- Ticketmaster API Integration
- Search Engine Optimization
- Website Maintenance
A Website Fit for Royalty
We designed a bold, genre-bending site that blends royal elegance with a punch of rock-and-roll flair. The design plays with contrasts: ornate gold frames and vintage photos paired with three-dimensional typography, playful sketches, and layered textures. Inspired in part by the energy of SIX: The Musical, which was touring at the time, we reimagined the idea of a “queen” in a way that feels modern and cheeky.
A vibrant palette of purples, pinks, and teals brings energy, while subtle animations like blinking lights around headlines add movement and personality. One standout visual is the homepage image, where a traditional queen portrait is topped with a sketched crown and sunglasses, setting the tone for a venue that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The final design feels welcoming, a little rebellious, and just the right amount of regal—perfect for everything from weddings to late-night shows.
Built for the Spotlight
The Queen’s events run through Ticketmaster, so we built their website to do the same. To save the team from manually entering every show, we integrated the Ticketmaster Discovery API directly into the website backend. Now, events automatically populate as posts with all the key details and link back to Ticketmaster for checkout. That means The Queen team can focus on the music, not the maintenance.
Party in the Front, History in the Back
The Queen is more than a music venue. It’s a private event space, a historic landmark, and a symbol of downtown Wilmington’s revival. The website highlights it all, with dedicated sections for private rentals like weddings, complete with room details, a photo gallery, and a virtual tour. It also brings The Queen’s past to life through rich storytelling that celebrates the building’s unique history.
Encore Performance:
Helping The Queen Stay Center Stage
A few years after launch, The Queen team returned for help improving their search performance. We refreshed key pages with updated copy, improved title tags and meta descriptions, and made accessibility-minded updates like stronger internal linking and alt text. We also added new content, including a “Plan Your Visit” page and a local area guide to offer more value to users.
Standing Ovation-Worthy Results
This project was a rare chance to push creative boundaries while building a site that is both functional and fun. From the start, the goal wasn’t just to promote events. It was to give The Queen a digital home that feels as bold and unforgettable as the venue itself. And it’s working. The new site is striking a chord with users, with a 70.34% engagement rate and an average session duration of 2 minutes and 34 seconds. Visitors are staying longer, exploring more, and connecting with everything The Queen has to offer.
The Queen’s website was honored as a featured site on Awwwards, a global platform recognizing outstanding design and user experience.
