What is Lorem Ipsum?

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.

Got it? Ya, we didn’t think so. Chances are you’ve come across this mixed-up, kind-of-latin-looking string of words at one point or another when working on a design/layout project, and gotten at least a little bit confused. Maybe you’ve even tried to translate it? Well don’t worry, we’re here to answer some basic questions on the mysterious Lorem Ipsum text – in plain English.

What is it?

Lorem Ipsum is the standard “filler” or “dummy” text used in the design and publishing industry. Dating back to the 1500s, Lorem Ipsum consists of jumbled up latin words arranged in a random and unrecognizable order.

What is the purpose?

Lorem Ipsum is used as a placeholder for text in layout designs for newsletters, magazines, newspapers, websites and other publications. By using Lorem Ipsum instead of readable text, it’s easier to focus on the actual design elements of the piece and avoid the distraction of recognizable words. The main purpose is to enable the viewer to easily focus on the important aspects of design such as font, typography and layout.

Does it work?

Yes! Lorem Ipsum is designed to portray how the actual copy for a project will look. Varying word combinations along with different sentence structures and paragraph lengths give the look and feel of real text, without the distraction and temptation of reading it.

Where do I find it?

There are a fair share of “Lorem Ipsum generators” out there, but select your source carefully! Some generators can have hidden phrases that are actually readable. And while they may in fact end up being a bit humorous, it is definitely not professional. If you’re wanting to spice it up with some hidden humor, by all means – have at it! But if looking to keep it professional, we’ve found a basic Lorem Ipsum Generator [http://www.lipsum.com] for you.

That’s about as simple as we can make it! Hopefully the next time you see a document or website still in the design process and filled with a bunch of gibberish, you will recognize it as Lorem Ipsum text – before checking the language settings on your computer.

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