Elk Bar was a London bar operated by the Mint Group at 587 Fulham Road in Fulham, near Fulham Broadway station. The venue was previously an All Bar One outlet before being rebranded as Elk Bar. The Mint Group, co-founded in 2001 by Alex Rutherford and Olly Bengough, ran the venue alongside other London hospitality projects including Bison & Bird and KOKO. The bar closed in 2018, and planning permission was granted in August 2021 for redevelopment of the site that could retain a bar or restaurant use on the ground floor. [1] [2] [3]
Design and History
Elk Bar’s visual identity was created by the London design studio Zip Design. The studio worked with the Mint Group on branding for several hospitality projects, including Elk Bar, Bison & Bird and KOKO. Zip Design’s portfolio page for the Mint Group confirms the studio’s involvement with Elk Bar but does not provide a detailed description of the Elk Bar mark itself, nor does it specify a design date. [4]
The venue operated as a modern-design sports-TV bar with a Tex-Mex drinks speciality and a food offering of burgers, skewers and sharing platters. Contemporary reviews described the interior as having a large red bar with elkhorn lampshades and multiple screens for sport. The bar was known for DJ nights and happy hours, and it hosted events such as Rugby World Cup screenings and Super Bowl parties. [2] [5] [6]
The bar closed on 1 July 2018. In August 2021, planning permission was granted for extensions and alterations to the building at 587-591 Fulham Road, allowing for flexible commercial, business and service use and/or drinking establishment use on the lower ground and ground floors, with residential flats above. The permission noted that the pub may be retained as part of the development. [2] [3]
Meaning and Symbolism
Zip Design’s portfolio does not document any specific symbolism or meaning behind the Elk Bar identity. The studio’s description of its Mint Group work focuses on the Bison & Bird project, where it created a visual pun by incorporating a bird into the ampersand of that venue’s name. No equivalent design rationale is published for Elk Bar. [4]
Typography and Design
No reliable documentation of Elk Bar’s wordmark typography, color palette or logo construction has been published. Zip Design’s portfolio page confirms only that the studio created branding for the venue; it does not describe the visual elements of the Elk Bar identity. [4]
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