Concept · Cocktail bar
Wren
A small bar with a long list. Candlelight on the page, and a booking button that never hides.
Concept project A venue we created to show how we'd approach a cocktail bar. There's no live business behind it, so there's no performance data.
The brief
A small bar with a long list wants its atmosphere to come through before anyone walks in, and bookings for the busy nights.
The challenge
Wren's atmosphere is its reason to visit, and it doesn't come across in daylight photos. Friday and Saturday fill up, but people don't know they can book, and private hire enquiries arrive as scattered messages.
Strategy
Let the atmosphere come through first, then make the two things people want (a table on a busy night, or the whole room for an event) simple to ask for.
Information architecture
- Home: atmosphere, tonight's hours and the booking button
- Drinks: the current list, kept up to date by the team
- Book a table: Friday and Saturday bookings, walk-ins the rest of the week
- Private hire: capacity, packages and a proper enquiry form
- Find us
UX decisions
- The booking button never leaves the screen, so a decision made on the train can be acted on straight away
- The drinks list is text, not a picture, so it's quick to keep current
- Clear about walk-ins, so nobody books when they don't need to
Mobile approach
Bar decisions happen late and on phones. The site is dark and easy on the eyes at night, text stays readable over photographs, and booking takes a few taps.
Design system
Candlelight, dark timber and brass. A high-contrast serif for the name and headings, and a restrained sans for the list.
Key features
- Candlelit photography that sets the mood in the first second
- A drinks list that is quick to keep current
- Table bookings for Friday and Saturday, walk-ins the rest of the week
- Private hire enquiries that arrive as a proper form
Conversion considerations
- Bookings promoted for the nights that sell out, walk-ins for the rest
- Private hire enquiries ask for date, numbers and budget up front, so the team can reply properly
- Every drinks section ends with a link to book
Visual details
Low, warm photography taken in the bar's own light, with dark backgrounds that let the glassware glow.
Intended outcome
More bookings on the busiest nights, and private hire enquiries that arrive with the details needed to quote.
A goal for the concept, not a measured result.
Wren is a concept venue we created to show how we'd approach a cocktail bar. It isn't a real business.