Law of Proximity

The Law of Proximity is one of the Gestalt principles of perception, developed by German psychologists in the 1920s. It describes how our visual system automatically groups elements based on their spatial relationship.

When items are placed close together, we perceive them as a unit. No lines, boxes, or labels are needed. Spacing alone creates meaning.

UX implications:

• Group related form fields together with whitespace
• Separate unrelated sections with more space
• Place labels close to their inputs
• Use consistent spacing to create visual hierarchy

Common mistake: Placing a label equidistant between two inputs. Users won't know which input it belongs to.