Symbols are representations that convey abstract ideas or feelings through metaphor or convention, such as the Christian cross. Icons are more literal images that resemble the object they represent. While some symbols like the swastika have taken on different meanings across cultures, icons have a closer similarity to the thing they depict. Both symbols and icons are important for communicating concepts that are not always easy to express directly.

1. Symbol and Icon
DIFFERENCES

2. Symbols and icons are an important part of our way of communicating
with others.
These allow us to transmit even very abstract ideas or feelings that we do
not always know how to express, also, some become part of certain
cultures or all.

3. Symbol
Symbols are representations
of things, you can say that
are metaphors.

4. Symbol
They can be a figure or an
abstract image, which either
by analogy or by
convention are used to
refer to a reality. For
example, a cross is the
Christianity’s symbol.

5. Symbol
In the world there are symbols
that are recognized by the vast
majority of cultures and have
become part of our reality.
However, being abstract and
subjective, they require
interpretation and it is possible
that some groups interpret a
symbol in one way and others in
another

6. Symbol
For example, the swastika;
for many it’s the Nazis’s
symbol, but in countries like
India it has positive
meanings such as "happily",
"health", "successfully" .

7. Nazi swastika Hindu swastika

8. Icon
The word icon comes from
the Greek and means
image.
It has a relation of similarity
with the object that it
represents.