#kool cig

preamble:

walking around chicago is like going on a scavenger hunt, it's so freaking lush with tags! living here has made me all the more grateful for graffiti and to have gotten more into it this year, it feels like there's a hidden language (corny to say i kno) and clues everywhere for you to notice if you just pay attention. i feel like i'm almost creating a parasocial relationship with some of the tags i've seen around, especially "kool cig", because it feels like everywhere i go it's there with me- i wanna know who kool cig is and be their friend! they're hitting all the same spots as me! "wonder" is also one that i rly love and feels like has to be done by a gay faggot. some honorable mentions that i haven't documented enough of that are a couple rly prolific taggers are "loki" and "jamal". i gotta get more pics of those guys because they are EVERYWHERE especially loki. oh also i wanna say these are tags just from the neighborhoods of logan square/hermosa and west humboldt park/ukrainian village, so definitely not trying to claim that im sampling tags from the entire city of chicago ! ok now here's the post

"kool cig"

i rly love how playful kool cig feels with its wonky 'k' and 'g' lettering. it stands out everywhere & is a good reminder that legibility and consistency can make a rly good tag! it's style is simple but different. (also note that there is a "jamal" in the first pic and a "loki" in the fourth pic). i love kool cig!!!

"benon"

benon is all over, especially more by me in hermosa rather than deep in logan square. benon is a good example of how observing tags can feel like putting together a little puzzle sometimes! the first few benon i saw were just quick hand style tags where it was hard to tell if it was “bevon” or “benon”, but the more i saw around, and eventually seeing the bubble letters confirmed it, i felt confident it was benon. i also missed a sticker of theirs i saw too while biking! it’s cool that they do tags, throwies, and stickers//so comprehensive!

"wonder"

fucking gay...! ~wonder~ if its a lomelda reference. i love the angel and the lowkey :/ face built into the tag. u can also spot a "loki" in this photoset!

"peek" (my title)

i loveeee him!!! i saw another of him somewhere but couldn't snap a pic, one of my faves he's so cute!!!!! he kinda reminds me of kilroy was here #legacy

special mention- this guy:

i just think he's cute and kinda reminds me of matisse (i think the lettering is STG maybe? maybe swear to god? idk)