Cohesion in UI Design: The Secret Sauce Behind Stellar UI Design

Cohesion and visual echo in UI design

Cohesion means everything in your interface working together. Nothing feels out of place. From fonts and colors to buttons and layouts, it all feels like it belongs. That makes your product feel intentional and easier to use.

Here’s how to achieve cohesion:

• Keep typography, colors, spacing, and layout consistent.

• Reinforce your brand by repeating fonts, colors, and styles.

• Build a predictable structure so users know what to expect.

Visual echo helps you get there. It’s the repeated visual logic that connects UI elements intentionally.

Examples of visual echo:

• Repeated shapes in different components.

• Applying the same typography in your design.

• Echoing the logo.

Examples where cohesion and visual echo are achieved

Let's go through some of the best examples where cohesion and visual echo were achieved.

Notion

• Hand-drawn box

• Playful text

• Playful hand-drawn illustrations

National Geographic

• Square of specific proportions

• Use of yellow lines

• Logo-proportioned imagery

Circle

• Geometrical font

• Circular visuals

• Circular decorations

Formcarry

• Bent-shaped illustrations

• Bent square logo

• Bent-shaped forms

These brands don’t just look good—they feel connected. Their use of visual echo makes every part of the UI feel like it belongs, guiding the user’s eye and reinforcing the brand at every level.

Final words

Great UI design feels connected, and that feeling comes from cohesion and visual echo working together. Use them well, and your design won’t just work—it will click.