Lorem Ipsum: Words, Not Type!
When Cicero (106-43 B.C.) wrote his classic treatise on ethics—de Finibus et Malorum—little could he have imagined that his Latin text describing good and evil would eventually be randomly placed as mock-text to test page layouts and fonts. (And perhaps worse, the process—in vogue since the 1500s—would be called "greeking.")
Lorem ipsum dolor... is familiar to any client who has reviewed creative in its initial stages of design. The text approximates English and renders a view of creative without the distraction of words. Later, in theory, the design and copy seamlessly merge to communicate the message that the creative team has been charged to convey.
Of course, this process is never without effort. Writers sometimes fail—too many or too few words, the wrong adjective for a particular graphic, etc. And sometimes, designers forget that they are placing words in a particular typeface into the design.
Several years ago I wrote signage for a cruise line's annual golf tournament. I reviewed the designer's Quark files and was dismayed to discover a cruise ship sailing beneath my headline, edited from Whole In One to Whole One. A note from the designer requested, "One word less." I deleted the ship from the files and attached my response, "Ransom: one ship for one preposition." She modified the design, accommodated the headline, and our client was delighted.
Brilliant design combines all elements (including words) to elicit emotion and convey a memorable message.
— Tim Hodapp, writer, timhodapp@mac.com