I have used essentially all of the Linux desktop environments over the course of decades and my impression is that GNOME attracts developers with a strong interest in "design" as a hobby. And apparently ones who take the whole, "Perfection is attained not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away," philosophy perhaps a little too rigidly.

KDE tends towards pragmatism, discoverability, and customization over simple and flashy. The developers don't assume their users are simpletons who will get confused and run away if they encounter a checkbox they don't understand. They understand that many of their users are advanced tech-enthusiast "power users" just like themselves.

OP is talking about stuff that has nothing to do with check boxes or "simpletons". They're talking about super basic stuff like padding things the same way for dynamic content. Consistent fonts. Etc.

Even non-simpletons can appreciate that.