The Art Gallery of South Australia on North Terrace, South Australia obscured by the AGSA acronym
Surveys will prove the ineffectiveness of acronyms. Or, as the old Romans used to say: Quod erat demonstrandum. They’d never say: QED.
The Art Gallery of South Australia, one of the world’s greatest in the way it challenges and entertains in presenting the wealth of its collection, has one downside: AGSA.
It’s sad that the art gallery chose as AGSA to make their branding acronym– one of the great modern blights on knowledge sharing. Acronyms – HR, NFP, FAQ, AIP, ASAP, FYI, just for starters – are so beloved by government and corporate bureaucracies as an exclusive language that builds silos of esoteric self importance.
They don’t add to the general public’s understanding of what’s happening in the way society works.
The Art Gallery of South Australia as “AGSA” immediately suggests a government department: The “Agriculture Department of South Australia”. That might be preferable for the actual South Australian agriculture department than PIRSA that means nothing to many people. (PIRSA is the state department of the primary industries and regions.)
And a random Google of “AGSA” can take you to the Auditor General of South Africa (AGSA).
The use of AGSA probably doesn’t bother most Art Gallery of South Australia members (getting their discounts on exhibition tickets and meals at the excellent gallery café) but that is the point: AGSA will mean something only to the initiated.
Take a survey of people in Rundle Mall on what AGSA means. It’s sure to produce many mental blank canvasses. More frighteningly, ask how many of them have been to the Art Gallery of South Australia or even know where it is.
Those answers should guide the gallery’s branding. Rundle Mall surveys also would be a good way for the bureaucrats to discern the level of knowledge about government departments and their work.
They could also ask about the awareness of their departments’ acronyms – and be prepared for some acrimonious answers. Surveys will prove the ineffectiveness of acronyms. Or, as the old Romans used to say: Quod erat demonstrandum. They’d never say: QED.
SANTOS is other best known South Australian acronym. It stands for South Australia Northern Territory Oil Search, given to the company in its 1950s beginnings. Santos can give a different impression as a common Galician, Portuguese, and Spanish surname.