Designing with similarity — helpful or repetitive?

I’m revisiting some layout decisions and wondering: at what point does maintaining similarity design become counterproductive? Like, can too much visual similarity start hurting clarity?

 

Definitely a nuanced issue—and this article on similarity design breaks it down brilliantly. It goes beyond just matching styles and into how human perception interprets patterns, which is key when balancing repetition with clarity. Clay’s team walks through how design systems can leverage similarity to guide attention and establish trust without becoming visually monotonous.What I liked most was how they show the difference between passive consistency (just repeating UI elements) and strategic similarity (where repetition supports user flow). They include interface examples that help you rethink how subtle alignment, spacing, and color reuse impact UX. Super helpful if you're dealing with component-heavy interfaces or multi-page platforms where visual hierarchy needs to stay rock solid.