Acquired Hellblade Developer Ninja Theory for $117 Million
It’s unreal, uncanny—it makes you wonder if something is wrong; it seems to seek your attention for all the wrong reasons. Usually, we prefer the real thing—wine without sulfur-based preservatives, real butter instead of margarine—and so we’d like our layouts and designs to be filled with real words, meaningful thoughts, and valuable information.
The toppings you might choose for that TV dinner pizza slice when you forgot to go grocery shopping, or the makeup you might slap on your face to impress your new boss—that’s your business. But what about your daily bread? Design comps, layouts, wireframes—will your clients accept that you take the easy way out? The experts in our industry will tell you in no uncertain terms that Lorem Ipsum is a huge, huge no-no to be avoided at all costs. Not so fast, I’d say—there are some redeeming factors in favor of placeholder text, as its use is merely a symptom of a bigger problem that needs to be addressed.
Secret Invasion Character Posters
You start with a text; you shape the information.
You pare down what’s unnecessary, get to the point, clarify things, add value—you’re a content person who loves words. Design isn’t an afterthought—far from it—but it comes in a well-deserved second place. Anyway, you still use Lorem Ipsum—and rightly so—because it will always have a place in the web developer’s toolkit; after all, things don’t always go the way you’d like them to, nor do they always happen in the order you’d prefer. Even if you’re less into design and more into content strategy, you might find some redeeming value in—wait for it—dummy copy, of all things.
I’ve heard the argument that “lorem ipsum” is effective in wireframing or design because it helps people focus on the actual layout, color scheme, or whatever. What really bothers me here is that we’re talking about creating a user experience that will (whether we like it or not) be DRIVEN by words. The entire structure of the page or app flow is designed around the words.
If that’s what you think, how about the other way around? How can you evaluate content without design? No typography, no colors, no layout, no styles—all those elements that convey the important signals that go beyond mere text: hierarchies of information, weight, emphasis, subtle nuances, priorities—all those subtle cues that also appeal to the reader visually and emotionally.
Or else, an alternative approach: establish checkpoints, networks, processes, and connections between content and layout. Depending on the situation, it may be best to focus on either design or content, switching gears as needed.
