The Gestalt Law of Proximity states that objects placed close together are perceived by the human brain as belonging to the same group, while objects spaced further apart are perceived as distinct entities.
In UI design, incorrect spacing confuses user mental models:
16px) is greater than or equal to the space between the input and the next field's label (16px), users struggle to tell which label belongs to which input.4px or 8px) must always be noticeably smaller than the space between distinct groups (Field A $\leftrightarrow$ Field B: 24px).Level 3 · Design Tokens & Foundations