SAN ANTONIO PHILHARMONIC
Website Design
website project background
When the new San Antonio Philharmonic launched its operations in 2022, its website was a mission-critical project in itself. The orchestra was in a hurry: it had only two months to find a name, choose a new brand, design a complete set of marketing materials and launch a website to sell seats for the season that was just about to begin.
website requirements and goals
The website had two main requirements, branding and event ticketing. As the online presence of the city’s only professional philharmonic orchestra, its branding needed to reflect the rich cultural heritage and diversity of the city, which is majority Latino, and help make the SA Philharmonic more approachable and inclusive. The website also needed to enable the group to promote events, sell tickets, sell subscription packages and take donations for the coming season — just two months away.
website design and branding
One key goal for the orchestra’s new logo was to make it more approachable and inclusive than is often the case for professional orchestras. The new branding (read the branding case study here) was the result of a deep dive into Latin American and local San Antonio art and culture. The website, like the organization, had to look and feel like San Antonio. Robot proposed a logo that celebrates the spirit of the city and its inhabitants through bright colors and a jubilant shape that evoke an orchestra, musical expression, diversity and community. The color scheme—composed of tomato red, magenta, orange, aqua and black—and imagery were designed to capture and convey the same spirit.
event calendar
A central feature of the website is the event calendar, which helps people quickly see what the orchestra will be performing, when and where; the orchestra plays both in the First Baptist Church 0f San Antonio as well as elsewhere about the city in order to bring world-class music out into to the community. A Season Overview page shows visitors a choice of classical and popular music, as well as school performances, together with information about the musicians and conductors.
event ticketing and subscriptions
The Philharmonic faced the urgent need to sell tickets by row rather than by individual seat because the primary venue doesn’t have numbered seats. Robot was able to identify and integrate a third-party ticketing system into the site that met all the functional requirements and was ready to sell tickets the day the website launched. It allows the sale of both individual tickets and season ticket subscriptions.
donation integration
The site also needed to explain why giving mattered — it’s a combination of legacy, community and education — and facilitate donations from individuals and local businesses. The website’s Individual Giving page provides three motivations for giving and encourages people to make a donation with a prominent “Donate Online Now” button. A separate Corporate Sponsorships page invites local companies to show their support for the orchestra by becoming an official sponsor. (In the spirit of full disclosure, Robot Creative is a proud sponsor of the San Antonio Philharmonic.)
“It was an enormous collaborative effort to launch a fully functional website within such a short time period. We are thankful for the Robot Creative team for their passion and commitment to making this project a reality. The website has been an critical tool for promotion of the organization.”
results
The launch was a success, selling enough tickets to get the new orchestra off to a fast start in its inaugural season. In the first month of the website launch, the ticketing platform processed over $250,000 in ticket purchases and donations, including hundreds of subscriptions. The website remains the main vehicle of the orchestra’s ticketing revenue.
