Art Students Create New Logo for Riverside Counselling Service

Students from The Henley College have showcased their creativity and design skills in a logo competition created in partnership with Riverside Counselling Service, a local charity providing affordable and accessible counselling and psychotherapy services across Henley-on-Thames, Wallingford and the surrounding areas.

Established in 1989, Riverside supports people aged 12 and over through professional mental health services. As part of a wider brand refresh, Riverside invited first and second year Art students from The Henley College to create a new logo that reflected the charity’s work and values.

In April, Riverside CEO Sophie Wellings visited the College to deliver an introductory session for students. During the presentation, Sophie outlined the charity’s values and culture, challenging students to capture Riverside’s identity through a fresh visual design.

An awards ceremony was held at The Henley College on Monday 15 June. The event was attended by the Mayor of Henley, Ian Reissmann, Henley and Thame MP Freddie van Mierlo, Riverside’s CEO and trustees, as well as valued members of the local community. The winner was selected by a judging panel made up of representatives from Riverside and local graphic designer Ben Hargreaves from in8.

The winning design was created by Mio A’Court, whose logo impressed judges with its strong sense of community and thoughtful connection to Riverside’s existing identity.

Sophie Wellings said, “Mio's design really stood out and aligned with our values of being community oriented. We love the colours and how the aspect of the river has been retained from the original logo. Its a really good piece of art and a really good representation of what we do.”

Speaking about the competition, Mio said, “I’m really happy, but also really surprised that I won, as there were some really nice designs. I’ve never made a logo before, so I learned the basics, but also how to communicate a brand through its logo.”

The competition also recognised two talented runners-up, Erin Moses and Grace Brown.

Erin said, “It was really exciting; I didn’t expect it at all.”

She added, “It was exciting to focus on design as an aspect of the course.”

Grace said, “I learned a lot about simplifying designs to suit a logo format. I didn’t expect to come runner-up; all the designs are amazing.”

Addressing guests at the awards ceremony, Freddie van Mierlo highlighted the importance of accessible mental health support and praised the partnership between the College and Riverside.

Freddie van Mierlo said, “I think Riverside are an incredibly important charity. I have regularly had talking therapies over the past 10 years. I think it’s very important that we normalise that and it is a really important part of wellbeing and good mental health. Unfortunately, the availability of talking therapies in this country is very restricted. It’s very difficult to get hold of it on the NHS. Many people are forced into the private sector and pay a lot of money. I’d like to see the charity thrive because the work they do is so important. I know having a good logo and a good marketing presence is an important part of that. It’s great to see the collaboration between a local charity and the college. These are all wonderful designs. I think if nothing else, they really prove to me that AI has got a long way to go before they can meet the creativity of the human brain. Huge congratulations to those who made the top three.”

Henley Mayor, Councillor Ian Reissmann, also spoke about the value of counselling and the impact it can have on people's lives.

Ian said, “Counselling and mental health is undervalued. It’s becoming more recognised as important, but it still has a bit of a Cinderella image. I also had some difficulties in my life a few years ago, and I decided to take up the offer of counselling, and it was really helpful.”

He commented, “One of the things my counsellor used to say to me was that we’re all mammals and we need to have feelings. We need to be warm; we need to feel comfortable and safe. That’s something that my counsellor taught me to do is if you haven’t got someone to hug, hug yourself.”

The project provided students with a valuable opportunity to work on a live client brief, developing their understanding of branding, visual communication and professional design practice.

The Henley College Principal, Simon Spearman said, “Thank you to the students for participating and creating some amazing work. It’s a great collaboration between us and Riverside Counselling.”

The competition highlights the strength of partnerships between The Henley College and local organisations, giving students meaningful real-world experience while supporting important community initiatives.

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