 Why do we have symbols?As speaking beings, we work to hone our conversation and writing skills so we can communicate
"effectively." But have you ever noticed how much quicker you grasp a symbol's meaning than the words used to describe it?
What if every traffic sign were white with explanatory directions written on it? As you drive, the color and shape coding of traffic signs allow you to effectively search for and find only what you need. It's the same with all symbols.
Symbols are the essence of gestalt (a configuration or pattern of elements so unified as a whole that it cannot be described merely as a sum of its parts). Or, to put it more clearly than the online dictionary, gestalt is understanding in an immediate flash. A gestalt give you immediate understanding of a complex issue, but you understand before you can put the understanding into words. Intuition works like gestalt, and symbols work like gestalt.
Symbols communicate more than the sum of their parts. Take one element away, and a symbol will communicate a completely different thought. 'E' without its lowest line becomes 'F'. A symbol's main purpose is to communicate in a flash a complex idea - without words - so you can understand.
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