If Latin is a Dead Language... Why do I See it in Design Mock Ups?

I am sure you have all seen design samples with paragraphs of Latin text like this:

"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diem nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut lacreet dolore magna aliguam erat volutpat."

Have you ever wondered where it comes from or why it is used?

Well, it isn't random Latin text - its roots originate from a book on ethics written in 45 BC! It was in the 1500's when a printer first used it as filler in a sample book he was creating to display different fonts.

It has been around since then and used by many to display fonts - especially in the 1960's on Letraset pages, as well as content filler when text hasn't been written.

Why use it for content filler?

When we are designing, especially page layout and we don't have the text yet, we want to create a design that provides an overall impression. We don't want the lack of text to create a distraction from the main design theme.

If you were to use "content here content here content here" throughout the page you would find it to be unnatural and distracting. Using the Latin "Lorem ipsum" phrasing we find the page content flows evenly and you don't notice (at first) that it isn't true content.

Compare the two samples below - which one looks to be more natural?

We find it interesting that 2000 year old text is still implemented in a method created more than 500 years ago!

Now you are aware and part of this ancient tradition!
 
If you would like more information or require our design skills, please feel free to contact us!

Sean Smith
Twitter: @ci2group
Website: www.ci2group.com