Lorem Ipsum: Why Placeholder Text Exists
Dummy text lets you focus on design without waiting for content. But it has limitations.
"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet..."
You've seen it everywhere. Mockups, templates, design files. Fake Latin filling space where real content will eventually go.
It's not random. It's a 500-year-old tool with a specific purpose.
What Lorem Ipsum Actually Is
Scrambled Latin text from a 1st-century BC work by Cicero. Printers used it for centuries to show typeface designs without distracting readers with actual content.
The text is deliberately nonsensical. You can't accidentally read it and miss design issues.
Why Use Placeholder Text
Focus on design. Real content distracts. Readers start reading instead of evaluating layout, typography, and visual hierarchy.
Work in parallel. Designers don't wait for writers. Writers don't wait for designers. Everyone works simultaneously.
Show clients layouts. Demonstrate design concepts before content exists.
Test boundaries. How does the layout handle long paragraphs? Short ones? Placeholder text lets you try both.
Why Not Just Use Real Text
You should, eventually. Placeholder text hides problems:
Length assumptions. Your lorem ipsum is 200 words. The real headline is 3 words. Or 50 words. Layout breaks.
Content-design relationship. Good design serves content. Designing without content can create mismatches.
Client confusion. Clients sometimes focus on the placeholder text. "Why is this in Latin?"
Beyond Lorem Ipsum
Lorem ipsum is content-neutral. Sometimes that's wrong.
Industry-specific placeholders. Medical text for healthcare sites. Legal text for law firms. Same structure, more realistic preview.
Real content sampling. Use actual content from competitors or previous projects. Realistic lengths and formats.
Content-first design. Write real headlines first. Design around actual content.
Placeholder Text Tips
Match expected length. If real content will be 50 words, don't use 500 words of lorem ipsum.
Use realistic formatting. Include headings, bullets, and short paragraphs if the final content will have them.
Mark clearly. Make sure everyone knows it's placeholder. Shipping lorem ipsum to production is embarrassing.
Replace early. Don't wait until the end. Put real content in as soon as it exists.
Common Mistakes
Designing with short placeholders, receiving long content. The layout worked with two-word headings. Real headings are sentences.
Ignoring content hierarchy. Placeholder text doesn't have structure. Real content does. Design for structure, not just blocks of text.
Shipping placeholder text. It happens. QA checklists should catch "lorem ipsum" before production.
When to Skip Placeholders Entirely
Content-critical designs. If the design's success depends on specific content (like data visualizations), start with real data.
Marketing pages. Headlines drive conversion. Design them with real headlines.
Tight timelines. Parallel workflows save time, but if content is already written, use it.
Lorem ipsum is a design tool, not a crutch. Use it to evaluate layout without content distraction, but replace it early and test with realistic content lengths before shipping.