Square Magazine, a student-run fashion magazine at the University of Mississippi, held a party at Harrison’s Yard to celebrate the official launching of their new logo from 8-10 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 21. The event was dubbed their “Out-of-the-Box” party in honor of the magazine’s new logo design and was open to all members of the public.

The party featured live music from Golden Teacher Society, a rock band composed of UM students, who performed covers of songs, including “Brazil” by Declan McKenna and “Linger” by The Cranberries. It also featured themed specialty drinks with names like the “Square Spritz” and the “Carrie Bradshaw” as well as a raffle for a Harrison’s gift card.

The invite encouraged attendees to dress up and wear an ensemble that was out of their comfort zone to go along with the “Out-of-the-Box” theme, and party patrons followed those instructions well. Around the yard, there were guests rocking fashion-forward looks. 

The fresh logo was designed by Addy Ezell, one of the social directors for the magazine, and it is the first time the logo has been updated in the five years since Square’s inception in 2019. Ezell, a junior integrated marketing communications major, expressed that she wanted to keep the essence of the original logo while putting her own spin on it.

“I wanted to keep something that could still be recognizable as Square Magazine but show that we’re breaking out of our element a little bit. We are developing, we are modern, we are continuously being experimental and trying to break out of that box,” Ezell said. “It’s very simplistic, and that was one thing I wanted to keep — the longevity and timelessness of our original logo.”

For Ezell, the new logo was the result of a passion project she decided to take on herself. 

“I have found a home in Square Magazine. I want us to continue to develop, not stay in the same place and constantly be exploring new routes and different ways to grow our brand and our identity,” Ezell said.

Senior integrated marketing communications major Julia Ross attended the event. 

“(This party) is very lowkey and relaxed. Everybody is just talking and hanging out.” Ross said.

Jon Daniel Delaughter, a sophomore biological science major, was another student attendee and fan of the event. 

“My friend Gage, models with Square Magazine, and he was letting us know about the events,” DeLaughter said. “The vibe is very chill. The band is awesome. It’s outdoors, which is always good. Live music is always a good time. There’s lots to do and a lot of people to talk to.”

Square Magazine Editor in Chief Emma Greene, a senior Oxford native and journalism major, spoke about how the new logo represents the magazine’s efforts to not be as “straight-edge” as their name implies.

“This year, we changed our logo, and it’s like a squiggly version of the square that we had before. It’s kind of our version of going ‘out of the box’ because the saying ‘be there or be square’ has connotations of not bending the norm, but Square’s the opposite of that, which has kind of always been our brand, but we’re really trying to lean into it this year,” Greene said.