Horse and Hound

The Horse & Hound public house has been engulfed by urban sprawl as the London suburbs grow ever larger. The area around the pub lost its countryside decades ago – so horses and hounds are not really regular sights in the beer garden anymore.

The Horse & Hound’s new owners did not feel that its identity related well to either the present clientele,  nor the community in which this free-house sat.

“There has historically been a sign outside showing the leader of the hounds, blowing his horn astride his horse and his dogs presumably about to start a hunt. We don’t really feel that is a helpful image for modern life”.

Having undertaken a major refurbishment and modernisation, reinventing themselves as a gastro-pub, S2 undertook the project to create an inviting brand image that better represented the warm-welcome, inclusive nature and modern feel they had worked hard to create. It was our desire to create a design that would resonate with the sophisticated and educated urbanites who were now the pub regulars.

Our design removes any negative association of the hunting tradition and reframes the image. The use of negative space and intertwining of the stylised heads brings a sense of intimacy, of closeness, warmth and friendship.