In recent days, Curtis Kulig’s infamous Love Me insignia has evolved from a brand that first breathed life on the streets of New York City and LA through incessant scrawling, graffiti, tagging and sticker bombing, into a brand whose decal is now available at Urban Outfitters for $99 (in solid black or rainbow), or for a more feminine touch, you can pick up the Love Me adorned eye shadows and then some at Sephora.

This post however, isn’t about the transition from outdoor and illegal, to the now legally welcomed success of branding not just New York, but potentially, the world. This post will focus on Curtis Kulig’s design; Love Me, and the transition it went through on the streets.

When I first encountered Curtis Kulig’s Love Me cry in it’s now most obviously recognized cursive, I saw it as just that, a cry. Love Me. Many things were at play at the time, maybe beyond the scope of Kulig’s mind, maybe right where he envisioned. I saw it as a desperate call for love. A break up! I thought. Abandonment? The fleshy wound of lost love? The drips in the design, whether on purpose or products of the tools used that later became part of it’s personality, added to the emotions those two syllables evoked.  I could envision the person pleading. The handwritten style added warmth, and though I didn’t know who he was, it added a person. And that’s what Love Me became to me, a plead. A bleeding heart for all to see.

Then Love Me took on a different form. It took on a bold, blocked letter form. LOVE ME, all caps! The personality that lured you in with it’s clearly less than perfect look was suddenly commanding you to see it! The contrast of black letters on white background called attention to itself in a different way. While, I still nod at the stickers, they fail at doing what the dripping plea did, which was to connect on a more personal level. "Love Me" became a command, rather than a request. 

With Kulig's collaborations launching throughout the states, it was difficult to ignore how they also contribute to the relationship evolving with his street work and the legal work. Has anyone else shared similar reactions? Whether they be in relation to Kulig or other artists? The change in design changing the message?

photos by redboy / streetandstage.com // Images used with permission. Thank you for the use of your amazing images.