“Design is thinking made visual” — Saul Bass, graphic designer. Until three years ago Clint! Runge had hardly used a computer. Today, however, this NU senior in advertising and architecture practically earns a living creating computer-generated, virtual images.
Clint! Runge —yes, he uses the exclamation point after his first name — is co-owner of Archrival Inc., a design and visualization business that specializes in creating original graphics for architecture firms, institutions and corporations. Runge, 23, and his business partner, Charlie Hull, 25, operate their classroom-size design studio from the Apothecary Building in Lincoln’s Haymarket area.
In 1995, Runge purchased a laptop computer to use in his architecture class. He began experimenting with virtual space by creating physical models. And he found he was good at it, good enough that people would pay for his skills.
Runge said Archrival developed after business people saw his and Hull’s work at architecture presentations during Runge’s junior and Hull’s senior year at NU. The people who talked to them after the presentations were local architects, Runge said.
“And so before you know it, we were freelancing our artistic ability to local architecture firms. As that developed, we got more and more work. Next thing you know, Charlie and I decided, ‘ Hey, either we’ve got to do this as a business or not do it at all.’”
Archrival incorporated July 11, 1997. Since then the firm has generated video segments for businesses. It did visualization for the Norfolk Art Center. It enhanced a video game’s lighting and setting for a company in Ames, Iowa.
Runge declined to disclose the company’s earnings, but it pays the bills for the partners.
He said there are no “typical” projects. For instance, a firm may hire Archrival to produce a 3-D video segment of a planned structure.
“That’s why people hire us,” Runge said. “They can visualize what the structure, what the space is going to look like or feel like or what the materials are going to be. They can save a lot more money by making all the changes early.”
Runge said he and Hull had no business experience before forming Archrival, but they got help from the Nebraska Center for Entrepreneurship at NU’s College of Business Administration.
In the spring of 1997, the center paired Hull with a graduate student in Lincoln to develop a business plan, a plan Archrival put to use. Hull worked on this plan while Runge was in Europe studying architecture through experience.
“It was the best thing I ever did,” Runge said of his trip. I learned so much — and not from books but from experience. I got to tour Europe for about a month-and-a-half and lived in London the rest of the time.”
Runge and Hull have overlapping responsibilities in their fledgling design studio. Runge does much of the animation work for the videos. He helps create company logos, graphic identities, advertising and promotional materials and Web sites for businesses.
Hull composes the music and sound effects for the virtual “walk-throughs,” Runge said, designing the music to fit the “beat” of a particular presentation. Hull also handles the bookkeeping, invoicing and business development. But he is also a designer, and when Runge has an overload of work, Hull fills in.
Though Archrival is almost two years young, Runge and Hull have won six major awards in the industry: the 1998 Nebraska Gold ADDY for interactive media design; the American Advertising Federation Midwest Regional ADDY for interactive media design; first place in the 1998 E-cubed International Design Competition for graphics; first and second place Gold Awards for fund-raising at the 1998 Aurora Awards Film and Video Competition; a third place Gold Award for facility tour at the same competition.
“That’s definitely the highlight so far for our first two years — these awards,” Runge said.
And the awards came in high-powered contests. For example, the Aurora Awards in video and film production put Archrival in competition with Nickelodeon, Discovery Channel, HBO and others.
Kay Wunderlich, president of the Advertising Federation of Lincoln, said only one entry per category wins a Gold Award in the ADDYs. When a competitor wins an award at the state level, the entry automatically goes to the regional competition that includes Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas.
“To win a gold at district doesn’t happen very often,” Wunderlich said. “It’s a big honor.”
Nancy Mitchell, associate professor of advertising at NU, likes the idea that Runge has crossed disciplines, combining architecture and computer graphics. Runge was a student in the mass media and society course Mitchell teaches.
“What got my attention was from what other students were saying about Clint!,” Mitchell said. “A lot of times as professor, I try to stimulate critical thinking. He has his own spark.”
Amiee Settell, an NU senior in advertising, said she worked with Runge on a class project.
“The really amazing thing is that, regardless of his busy schedule, he’s always calm-mannered and friendly,” Settell said with enthusiasm. “He’s into advertising, architecture and he wants to go into video production. I don’t know when it will stop.”
Runge sees Archrival as a way to test what he has learned in college.
“This is a chance for me now not only to do design but explore my own personality,” Runge said. “This is my chance take my ideas that I have, my design philosophy, my design ideas and actually apply them.”
Before Archrival, Runge had tried painting and other forms of artistic expression. He sees his current work as something that comes from within, something that goes beyond technology.
“This just proves a point that it’s not about technology,” he said. “It’s not about the software. It’s about being an artist, being a designer. That just proves that the computer is a tool.”
As for the future, Runge said he hoped to work in the design industry within five years.
“It might be in product design,” he said. “It might be in advertising. It might be in the game industry. It will have something to do with design. That I know.”
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