Artifact Type: Binder only
Title: Opticom System Manual
Year: 1982
Designer: Glenn Fretz
Studio: Glenn Fretz Limited
Client: Opticom
Size: 297mm X 257mm
Condition: Very Good
Collection: Canada Modern Archive
Donated: Kindly gifted by Glenn Fretz
Opticom was a software program used by optometrists for practice management. The symbol was created by Glenn Fretz for a company owned by Fretz’s brother Marv (a computer programmer) and sister-in-law Betty (an optometrist).
Fretz generated the symbol on an 18×18 grid with a computer program that he wrote on a Sinclair ZX81 computer. The symbol represents a letter ‘O’ and the iris/pupil of an eye, pixelated to emphasize the digital connection.
This simple binder contained the software’s loose-leaf system manual, and was designed to make it easier to update over time.
