Lorem Ipsum: The history and meaning of the world's most famous blind text
“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit…” – You have certainly seen these words before, perhaps on a website under development, in a graphic design, or in an unfinished publication. The text begins with Lorem and continues in seemingly meaningless Latin. But what is the story behind this mysterious text? Why do designers, developers, and publishers around the world use precisely this sequence of words? In this article, you will learn everything about the history, meaning, and application of Lorem Ipsum – the world’s most famous placeholder text.
Lorem Ipsum Dolor
What is Lorem Ipsum?
Lorem Ipsum is a placeholder text used in layouts before the final text is available. The term “placeholder text” refers to text that is not meant to be read, but merely serves to fill a document with text to provide a realistic image of the finished product.
The classic form begins with the words “Lorem ipsum dolor” and continues in a modified form of Latin. Although the text appears at first glance to be randomly arranged Latin words, it is actually an altered passage from a work by the Roman philosopher Cicero.
The main reason for using Lorem Ipsum lies in its neutral effect: The text contains a balanced mix of letters, word lengths, and paragraphs that resembles our natural language without distracting from the actual design. Since the text is incomprehensible to most people, the viewer focuses on the layout rather than the content.
The History Behind Lorem Ipsum
The history of Lorem Ipsum goes back further than one might suspect. The text comes from Cicero’s work “De finibus bonorum et malorum” (On the Extremes of Good and Evil), written in 45 BCE. Specifically, it is a modified version of a section from Book 1, Section 1.10.32-33.
The original text by Cicero reads:
“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.”
Which translates to:
“There is no one who loves pain itself, who seeks after it and wants to have it, simply because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure some great pleasure.”
Its use as placeholder text probably began in the 16th century when an unknown printer took a collection of letters to create a type specimen book. The text survived not only five centuries but also the leap into the electronic world and is today the standard text for layouts and mockups.
Why Lorem Ipsum?
There are several reasons why Lorem Ipsum has become the standard placeholder text:
Neutral effect: The Latin text does not distract from the design since it is incomprehensible to most people.
Natural text structure: Lorem Ipsum contains a realistic distribution of letters, word lengths, and punctuation.
Historical continuity: Centuries of use have made the text an industry standard.
Availability: There are numerous tools and generators that provide the text in various lengths and variations.
Unlike real text in the local language or random character sequences like “asdf asdf,” Lorem Ipsum provides a realistic impression of the finished layout without the content distracting from the design or appearing unintentionally funny.
The Lorem Ipsum Generator: Custom Placeholder Text
In the digital era, it is easier than ever to generate Lorem Ipsum placeholder text in the desired length. A Lorem Ipsum generator is an online tool that produces any amount of text at the push of a button. These generators offer various options:
Generation of a specific number of words, sentences, or paragraphs
Addition of HTML tags for direct use on the web
Variations of the classic text
Customization of the starting phrase (with or without “Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet”)
These tools are particularly useful for designers and developers who need placeholder text of various lengths quickly. Similar to the application of the golden ratio in art, where certain proportions ensure a harmonious effect, the right amount of placeholder text can contribute to a balanced layout. In our article on sacred geometry, we go into more detail about such harmonious proportions.
Applications of Lorem Ipsum
Lorem Ipsum is used in various fields:
Graphic Design and Layout
In graphic design, Lorem Ipsum is used to design layouts before the final text is available. This allows designers to focus on the visual design without being distracted by the content. Especially when creating:
Brochures and flyers
Magazine and book pages
Business cards and letterhead
Posters and promotional materials
Web Design and Development
In web design, Lorem Ipsum plays an important role in creating:
Wireframes and prototypes
Themes and templates
Responsive designs (to test how text behaves in different screen sizes)
Content management systems
Typography and Font Sampling
When selecting and presenting fonts, Lorem Ipsum is used to:
Compare the readability of different fonts
Test the effect of different font sizes and line spacing
Create font samples
Similar to spring cleaning, where you thoroughly spruce up your home, Lorem Ipsum helps to “clean” a design and reduce it to its basic structure before it is filled with real content.
Alternatives to Lorem Ipsum
Although Lorem Ipsum is the most well-known placeholder text, there are now numerous alternatives:
Language-Specific Placeholder Texts
For designs that are presented in specific languages, there are placeholder texts that resemble the respective language:
German: “Franz jagt im komplett verwahrlosten Taxi quer durch Bayern”
English: “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog”
French: “Portez ce vieux whisky au juge blond qui fume”
These texts contain all the letters of the alphabet and give a more realistic impression of the respective language.
Thematic Placeholder Texts
For specific industries, there are thematically appropriate placeholder texts:
Bacon Ipsum: A placeholder text with terms from the meat industry
Cupcake Ipsum: A sweet placeholder text with bakery terms
Corporate Ipsum: A text with business phrases and management language
Meaningful Placeholder Texts
Some designers prefer placeholder texts that actually make sense, such as:
Excerpts from public domain literary works
Informative texts about the subject of the design
Randomly generated but grammatically correct sentences
Advantages and Disadvantages of Lorem Ipsum
Like any tool, Lorem Ipsum has its strengths and weaknesses:
Advantages
Neutrality: Does not distract from the design
Standardization: Universally known and accepted
Realistic text structure: Provides an authentic text image
Availability: Easily accessible through numerous generators
Disadvantages
Lack of contextual relevance: Content may not always fit the theme of the design
Potential misunderstandings: Clients might mistake the placeholder text for the final content
Missed opportunity: The possibility of working with relevant content already in the design is not utilized
Cultural limitation: The Latin text may appear foreign in non-Western contexts
Lorem Ipsum has proven itself over centuries as a reliable companion in the design and layout process. Despite increasing digitalization and the availability of alternative placeholder texts, Lorem Ipsum remains the industry standard.
The strength of Lorem Ipsum lies in its neutrality and its ability to convey a realistic text image without distracting from the actual design. It allows designers to focus on the visual design before the final content is determined.
Whether you are a professional designer or were simply curious about the history of this ubiquitous text – Lorem Ipsum is a fascinating example of how a seemingly insignificant detail can become an indispensable tool in visual communication.
Frequently asked questions about Lorem Ipsum
The name “Lorem Ipsum” is derived from the first two words of the placeholder text. Interestingly, “Lorem” is not a complete Latin word, but a truncated form of “dolorem” (pain/suffering). This probably happened due to an error when setting the text in the 16th century, when an unknown printer used the passage from Cicero’s work and omitted the “do” at the beginning. This “error” has been preserved over the centuries and is now the namesake for the world’s most famous placeholder text.
Basically yes, but there are situations where alternative placeholder texts might make more sense. For designs presented in specific languages, language-specific placeholder texts might appear more realistic. For projects where content plays a central role (e.g., content-focused websites), it can be advantageous to work with real or thematically appropriate content already in the design process. Some UX designers also argue that Lorem Ipsum promotes the separation of design and content, which can counteract user-centered design.
No, there are no copyright concerns when using Lorem Ipsum. The text is based on a work by Cicero from 45 BCE, which has long been in the public domain. Moreover, Lorem Ipsum is a modified version of the original text that has been used as a standard placeholder text for centuries. You can freely use Lorem Ipsum in commercial and non-commercial projects without having to obtain licenses or permissions.
The amount of Lorem Ipsum should correspond to the extent of the later real text. Use as much placeholder text as necessary to convey a realistic image of the finished design. For headings, single words or short phrases are often sufficient; for body text, you should use several paragraphs that correspond to the actual amount of text. Also, keep in mind that real text can often be shorter or longer than originally planned – so leave enough flexibility in the design for adjustments.
Yes, search engines like Google can classify Lorem Ipsum as inferior or irrelevant content. Websites containing Lorem Ipsum might rank lower in search results or even be classified as “under construction.” Google itself has confirmed that they can recognize Lorem Ipsum and interpret it as a signal for unfinished content. Therefore, it is important to ensure that all placeholder text is replaced with real, relevant content before publishing a website. This is especially true for pages that are important for search engine optimization (SEO).
