Guidelines are just what they say they are: guidelines. They provide for a consistent look and feel for an interface, as well as trying to exclude the more obvious mistakes that can be made from a psychological perspective. However, there are occasions when such constraints should be broken; for new interaction devices, for example, or to create a unique style of product.
Because of this, there is no one correct answer to this question: some will be more cognitively friendly than others, that is all. Guidelines can range from the general principle type shown below down to highly detailed information on what each component in a display should look and behave like.