Random Thoughts

Lorem Ipsum

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As someone that wears many hats in any work environment, I at times need to use filler text. To show a font, a layout, a design, a website, etc. From time to time I use real blog post but usually everyone that does web design uses the “Lorem ipsum” text.

It’s latin. It’s beautiful when spoken. But many, like myself, have no idea what I means, until last Saturday. While on twitter a fellow graphic designer,  Mike Rundle, shared a link to Wikipedia entry on Lorem ipsum. I found a few interesting facts that caught my eye. For starters a variation of the common Lorem ipsum has been used since the 1960’s and possibly since the 16th century. Second, the text is derived from sections 1.10.32-33 of Cicero’s De finibus bonorum et malorum (On the Ends of Goods and Evils, or alternatively [About] The Purposes of Good and Evil). Finally but most interesting (at least for me), the closes English translation is “pain itself” (dolorem = pain, grief, misery, suffering; ipsum = itself).

I find this interesting because this is a widely use text. It’s mostly used to show beauty, art, elegance, design. It’s a sharp contrast of what one is representing and one is saying.

Another point I would like touch and just briefly would be that it might also be very similar. The bad proves the good, the pain shows the joy. As people, we want to happy and joyful for as long as possible, No one expects pain, or suffering, but it’s part of life. When is the last time you grew as a person with only good things happening? Personally, if things go too well for me I start question what am I doing wrong, or become complacent.

Lorem ipsum is part of design, a part of life.

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