Spectre Graphics

In 1978, Chris Webb, the Director of the Notting Dale Urban Studies Centre had a clear understanding that the impact of the emerging Digital Technology would be profound. He wrote a paper called "Dancing with the Silicon Devil" and realised the need for a National Training programme to upskill people in the emerging field of Information Technology. On the basis of this the Harrow Club W10 bought the adjacent property (then Ceres bakery) and turned it in 1979 into the Notting Dale Information Technology Centre. The NDTC was the first of its kind. Kenneth Baker a minister in Mr's Thatcher"s Government of the time picked up on this and funded a consultancy unit (ITCU), based at Notting Dale, to manage a programme to set up ITeCs across the country . 175 Training centres were created. On the back of this the Government of the day encouraged entrepreneurs  to start small spin off businesses by offering small pump priming  grants and this is how Spectre Graphics came into being. SG's was incorporated as a company limited by garuntee.  It's purpose was to help create a curriculum for the potential Art and Design applications using the new technology for the National ITEC programme as well as operating as an independent art and design studio in its own right. Spectre Graphics started with a suit of 512K Apple Macs linked to a Laser Printer, a Pluto Graphics system and a CubiComp 3D Graphics machine.