A Practice for Everyday Life

The Marksman is an archetypal East End pub on London’s Hackney Road. Named for the French marksman who famously shot Admiral Nelson from 50 feet at the Battle of Trafalgar, it has been open for over 150 years. The premises was taken over by chefs Tom Harris and Jon Rotheram in 2015, and sensitively refurbished – now offering bar snacks and a full menu of contemporary British food, it remains a pub with a kitchen rather than a restaurant masquerading as such.

The logotype for the new Marksman is drawn from an existing lightbox sign behind the downstairs bar. This is combined with minimal sans-serif typography across the menus and stationery, and a pattern derived from the original panelling in the pub. Business cards, menus and beer mats display a die-cut ‘shot’ stamped out by the staff in-house.

Harris and Rotheram are former head chefs of the St John Hotel and One Leicester Street, and Fifteen, respectively.