If you haven’t already come across it, lorem ipsum is placeholder text that UX designers use in wireframes and prototypes when real content is not available. It fills content areas so you can get an idea for how much text can fit in a space and how it may look.

There are appropriate times for using lorem ipsum and times when you want to be cautious. Use it when the audiences are you and your teammates. They will most likely understand that it’s placeholder text and can ignore that it’s not real content. Be cautious when showing clients or stakeholders wireframes or prototypes though. They are often too distracted by it to pay attention to what you’re actually trying to communicate to them. They may ask you what it means or if it will appear in their real site or product. You’ll waste time explaining what it is and why you’re using it, so it’s best if you avoid showing it all all. Placeholder content also has a tendency to set false expectations. For example, if you use a paragraph of placeholder content, when the final page will have a list of bullets, the client might be confused with what happened because what they saw before wasn’t the same. Use real content as much as possible so you can keep their focus on the concepts you’re trying to communicate and so real expectations can be set.

Now that you’ve been properly warned, use it with caution; and hey, why not have some fun with it? Here are some of our favorites:

• Hipster Ipsum
• Coffee Ipsum
• Bacon Ipsum
• Borat Ipsum
• Samuel L. Ipsum (NSFW)

There are lots of ipsum generators out there. What’s your favorite? Do you have any funny reactions from clients or stakeholders?