A vehicular rearview assembly comprising a light source illuminating the mirror system within the housing of the assembly. The light source is a layered structure including generally co-extensive optical elements such as a light-guiding element that accepts light from light emitters and distributes this light along an area that is not transverse with respect to a display of the assembly. Light distributed and outcoupled through the light-guiding element illuminates the whole display, while radiation from other emitters may traverse the light-guiding element in order to highlight respectively corresponding segments of the display. The display may be configured in a spatially-segmented fashion to increase brightness of displayed indicia.