Consistency is the golden rule of interface design, but there is a paradox at the heart of consistency: if everything looks the same, there are no edges. How can you tell where you are or when you have moved from one space to another? A well-designed site is built on a consistent page grid, terminology, and navigation links, but it also incorporates the visual flexibility to create identifiable regions and edges within the larger space. In a higher education site, if you move from one region to another — let's say, from advising to financial aid — you ought to notice that you just passed an important regional boundary without asking yourself, "Am I still on the same website?"

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