5 Shortcomings of Lorem Ipsum
It is reasonable to assume every web designer has used lorem ipsum, and any professional would be hard-pressed to make a living without it. Lorem ipsum is the standard filler text in design and publishing. A frontrunner form of lorem ipsum began widespread use by the 1960s. In the 1980s, Aldus Corporation employed lorem ipsum in the publishing program Pagemaker Templates. However, as we trace the history, it becomes obvious that the use of lorem ipsum has its limitations, and it should inevitably be left in the past.
1. UNNECESSARY AND IMPEDES PROCESS
Lorem ipsum is unnecessary if you institute the best practices in web design and process. Copy should be done before design aspects of the site because copy takes less time in general. Today, modern brands value minimal text and writers can easily finish faster than their designer counterparts. Block text was prioritized in the past because the medium of information was primarily books, magazines, and newspapers. However, now that content is consumed through digital mediums, websites that do not include adequate and thoughtful whitespace are perceived as dated.
When copy is completed before design aspects, one can avoid both lorem ipsum and the horror of projects that are stretched out too long. I recommend coupling writing services with web design services offered, and to make it known that the client will easily be able to edit the copy after the completion of the project if they desire. However, if the client insists on providing their own copy against any of your advice, make sure to have a contractual agreement. The agreement should set the rules that the client must have their portion of the work done by a firm deadline. If the client fails to meet contractual deadlines, then the client will be responsible for the consequences, and the designer will remain paid by the scheduled date. These stipulations set a precedence to motivate the client to finish their portion of their work on time since the consequences will not fall on the contractor but on the client.
2. EXCESSIVE REDESIGNS
If you give the client the ability to write copy, you are ultimately giving them license to redesign your website. Copy influences design. Design influences copy. Even if the copywriter is part of your team, copy alterations may require soft redesigns. Unplanned redesigns are the slippery slope to budget catastrophe. Avoid a situation where the client can request or require an unlimited amount of redesigns.
3. LOREN IPSUM IS DECEPTIVE
Most times, lorem ipsum looks much better than the final copy in design projects. Lorem ipsum filler text tends to fall evenly across the screen, making designs appear balanced. If you are contending with the live copy while designing a site, you will have a stronger tendency to make the design better because you will have to compensate for the less flattering pre-production copy. If I am working with an agency that uses lorem ipsum I will usually swap out the text regularly with copy from a previous project. This helps me double check that the design is not overly reliant on lorem ipsum and the original copy can stand on its own two feet.
4. YOU WILL FORGET TO REPLACE IT
It may not be today. It may not be tomorrow, but someday, with consistent reliance on lorem ipsum, you will forget to switch out their filler text with production copy on a website. On that day you will remember the echoing warnings of the words of this blog post. It may be too late.
5. GREAT ALTERNATIVES
The following alternatives to lorem ipsum work great and tend to be less flattering, which will help challenge designs to improve. Also, the following filler text generators are difficult to ignore as they are very ridiculous. If you don’t like my picks, rest assured that there are many additional options on the internet that suit your tastes.
TOP FILLER TEXT GENERATOR PICKS
IN CONCLUSION
That is all I have for you now. Please share your thoughts in the comments section below. I hope you have learned something or have found my writing to be thought-provoking. I would love to hear from you if you agree or disagree with me.
Originally published at josephdevelops.com on December 24, 2017.
