PD
For example I always want the gateway to display the description rather than using a notation, likewise with the message flows. At the moment I have to do this one by one and it's frustrating.
Yes, just format the object (e.g. gateway) the way you want it to appear and create a fragment for it. Now, use only the fragment and not the symbol bar anymore.
Check the ARIS Express video tutorials for details how to create a fragment.