Lorem Ipsum.
“Lorem Ipsum” is a filler text used in the printing and typesetting industry since the 16th century. It is a sequence of Latin words that, despite not having a coherent meaning as a whole, has a distribution of letters and words that makes it similar to standard English in form and flow, making it very useful for simulating actual content in design mockups.
What is the meaning of Lorem Ipsum?
“Lorem Ipsum” is a truncated and often altered section of a Latin text taken from “De finibus bonorum et malorum“, a work by the Roman orator Cicero written in 45 BC. The work deals with the theory of ethics.
The specific passage from which “Lorem Ipsum” is derived roughly translates to something dealing with pain and pleasure. The most famous phrase in the passage is:“Neque porro quisquam est qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit…”, which translates to “There is no one who loves pain itself, who seeks it and wants to have it, simply because it is pain…”.
However, it is important to note that the“Lorem Ipsum” version commonly used as a filler text has been altered over time, so it does not have a coherent meaning in its entirety.
The primary purpose of “Lorem Ipsum” is not to convey meaning, but to provide filler text that has a similar distribution of letters and spaces as normal English text, allowing designers to visualize what a design will look like with real text.
What is the history or origin of Lorem Ipsum?
The text“Lorem Ipsum” is derived from a work called“De finibus bonorum et malorum” (On the limits of good and evil), written by Marcus Tullius Cicero in 45 BC. Cicero, a Roman statesman and orator, wrote this philosophical treatise to explain the theories of hedonism, epicureanism, stoicism, among others. Although it was not the first time these topics were addressed, the way Cicero presented them was unique, which is why it has become a classic text.
As we mentioned in the previous point, one of the most quoted passages of“De finibus bonorum et malorum” is the one that gives rise to the famous“Lorem Ipsum“.
But how did this text go from being part of a philosophical work to becoming the standard of the printing and design industry? The transition was not immediate. During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Cicero’s work was copied and studied by scholars.
Latin, being the language of academia, church and science, ensured that texts such as“De finibus bonorum et malorum” were revised and reproduced. However, it was during the explosion of printing in Europe, particularly in the 16th century, that “Lorem Ipsum” began its journey to typographic immortality.
The most widely accepted theory is that some printer took Cicero’s text and mixed it together to create a type specimen book. By doing so, the coherent content of the text would not distract those who were evaluating the quality and style of the printing. And, because the text had a similar layout of letters and words to standard Latin (and, by extension, many European languages), it provided a realistic representation of what a fully printed page would look like.
Since then,“Lorem Ipsum” has become the industry standard for filler text. The reasons are diverse: it avoids distractions, it provides a uniformity that makes design evaluation easier, and its classical origin gives it an air of legitimacy and tradition. In addition, its long history makes it a cultural reference point.
In the 20th century, with the rise of printing and design technologies, the use of “Lorem Ipsum” expanded even further. The advertising, graphic design and publishing industries adopted it as an essential tool. And, as the world entered the digital age, this tradition continued. Word processing programs, design software and web development tools incorporated “Lorem Ipsum” as part of their default features.
Over time, the text has been slightly modified and adapted. There are shorter versions, some humorous and thematic variations (such as “Bacon Ipsum” or “Hipster Ipsum”),
What is the false text Lorem Ipsum Dolor sit Amet used for?
“Lorem ipsum” text is commonly used in the typography and graphic design industry as filler text or dummy text. You’re probably wondering why use dummy text. Here are some of the reasons:
Neutral Representation
When designing, it is often helpful to have text that is not distracting to the reader or client. “Lorem ipsum” is generic enough that viewers are not distracted by trying to read or understand the content, and instead, focus on the design itself.
Spacing and Layout
Helps designers visualize what the final design will look like with an actual amount of text. This is useful for understanding how blocks of text, images and other design elements will fit into the available space.
Industry Standard
Because of its widespread use over the years, many designers and clients expect to see “Lorem ipsum” in initial sketches or mockups. It has become standard practice in the industry.
Language Neutral
As an altered Latin text, it is neutral in terms of modern languages and does not show favoritism towards a particular language, which can be useful when presenting a design to an international audience.
Flexibility
There are many variations and online generators of “Lorem ipsum” that allow designers to get the exact amount of text they need for their layouts, as well as tailoring it to specific needs in terms of size, formatting or style.
Where is filler text used?
Lorem ipsum” filler text is widely used in various fields and contexts related to design and content creation. Here are some common areas where it is used:
- Graphic design: When designers create mockups for brochures, posters, business cards or other printed materials, they often use “Lorem ipsum” as filler text to show how the final design will look.
- Web design: When designing websites, designers use “Lorem ipsum” to fill pages with dummy text to demonstrate the overall look, layout and user experience before the final content is available.
- Software development: When developing user interfaces or applications, developers can use “Lorem ipsum” to fill in areas of text and demonstrate how things will appear when end users add content.
- Advertising: Advertising and marketing agencies can use “Lorem ipsum” in mock-ups or proposals for advertising campaigns, showing how the final ads will look.
- Publishing: When designing the interior of books or magazines, designers sometimes use “Lorem ipsum” to represent text that has not yet been provided or finalized.
- Products: In sketches or prototypes of products that involve text (such as T-shirts with text prints or customizable products), “Lorem ipsum” can be used as a placeholder.
- Design applications: Many design tools and software, such as Adobe InDesign or Adobe Photoshop, can generate “Lorem ipsum” text automatically to help designers quickly fill areas with dummy text.
- Templates and themes: In web authoring platforms, predefined templates or themes are often populated with “Lorem ipsum” to give users an idea of how their content will look in that structure.
- Typography: When designing or presenting new fonts, typeface designers can use “Lorem ipsum” to demonstrate how various characters and styles will look in a larger context.
Lorem Ipsum Full Text
Here is the full Lorem Ipsum text in case you want to know what it is. Remember that this text is an altered version of the Cicero fragment mentioned above but lacks a literal translation, as its purpose is to provide a filler text to create samples.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
This is the complete fragment of Cicero which, according to theorists, is the origin of Lorem ipsum:
Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?
The rough translation of Cicero’ s text would be:
There is no one who loves, pursues, or wants to obtain pain for its own sake, because it is pain, but sometimes circumstances arise in which pain can produce some great pleasure. To put it simply, who of us takes on arduous physical exercise if we do not derive some advantage from it? But who can reproach one who wishes to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resulting pleasure?
Alternatives to Lorem Ipsum
Over time, humorous variants of “Lorem Ipsum” have emerged. We are going to introduce you to two of the best known ones:
Bacon Ipsum
“Bacon Ipsum” is a humorous and thematic variant of the traditional “Lorem Ipsum”. Instead of using the classic Latin text, “Bacon Ipsum” generates paragraphs full of meat-related terms, especially bacon and other cuts of pork. It is a mixture of carnivorous jargon and the usual “Lorem Ipsum”.
It was created primarily to entertain and make those working in web design and development smile. However, like other themed versions of “Lorem Ipsum”, it also serves to underline an important point: the content used in mockups and mockups is often arbitrary and its main purpose is to fill space and give an impression of what a design with real text will look like.
Hipster Ipsum
Rather than replicating the classic Latin text style or referencing meat such as “Bacon Ipsum“, “Hipster Ipsum” is filled with slang and English terms associated with the hipster subculture. Words and phrases such as “kale”, “cold-pressed”, “artisanal”, “fixie bikes” and other popular expressions and references within the hipster culture are typically integrated into the generated text.
