Historically, first came the symbols, then the abbreviations. Early men carved the first symbols on the cave walls while abbreviations are only as old as the Romans. Which of both is understood better, depends on the context. Symbols have already proven their indispensability in the digital...

Of all the responsibilities of a designer, the one that clearly tops ‘a boon and a bane’ list is adhering to the guidelines. You create, borrow or adopt a design language with the best intentions to diligently follow the guidelines. Things go all fine and dandy...