7
W27
SEPTEMBER 2014
Faculty Spotlight: Nik Papic by Nikki Lakin and Hermina Sobhraj
SQUARESPACE IS A SAVVY WEBSITE, BLOG AND ONLINE STORE BUILDER BOASTING ITS BRAND AS THE “EASIEST WAY FOR ANYONE TO CREATE AN EXCEPTIONAL WEBSITE.” IT’S RAISED OVER 80 MILLION DOLLARS IN FUNDING ACCORDING TO TECHCRUNCH AND IT ISN’T STOPPING THERE. THEY PLAN ON MAKING IT AVAILABLE TO EVEN MORE PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD AND DEMONSTRATING “A COMMITMENT TO PRODUCTS THAT GO BEYOND WEBSITES AND ONLINE STORES.” AS OF LATE, THE FASHION INDUSTRY HAS BEGUN TO LARGELY OVERLAP WITH THE TECH INDUSTRY. PUBLICATIONS ARE TURNING DIGITAL AND RUNWAY SHOWS ARE USING HOLOGRAPHIC IMAGES, MAKING TECHNOLOGY AN UNDENIABLE PRESENCE IN EVERY FASHION STUDENT’S LIFE. NIK PAPIC IS A PROFESSOR AT THE FASHION INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND HE IS COMPLETELY EMERGED IN THIS TRANSITION. HE TEACHES INTERNET MARKETING, A SPECIALIZED CLASS THAT TEACHES STUDENTS THE BASICS OF BUILDING WEBSITES, MANAGING SEARCH ENGINES AND HOW TO CREATE CAMPAIGNS TAILORED FOR THE WEB. HE IS ALSO THE SENIOR MARKETING MANAGER OF SQUARESPACE. I THINK IT’S SAFE TO SAY THAT THE STUDENTS TAUGHT BY PROFESSOR PAPIC ARE IN GOOD HANDS. WE CAUGHT UP WITH HIM TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HIS ROLE AT FIT AND THE ROLE SQUARESPACE PLAYS IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY.
INTERVIEW BY NIKKI LAKIN
Nikki Lakin: What exactly is Squarespace? Nik Papic: Squarespace is a publishing platform that allows anyone to create professionally—designed websites without knowing how to code. It’s truly an elegant website solution for individuals and businesses of all sizes. As an aside, students get 50% off; just go to squarespace.com/ students! NL: How did you make your way to this career? NP: I got involved with web programming and design in the mid—90s, which led to working with a number of tech startups, both mine and those founded by others. I’ve held a wide range of positions within the tech industry since then, with a particular focus on marketing over the past 7–8 years.
deem large media campaigns, including television, out—of—home, online video and the like. NL: What do you think is the importance of a Web presence for fashion designers and brands? NP: What isn’t? It’s absolutely essential that everyone, particularly businesses, have an established online presence in this day and age. NL: You've only been teaching for a few years. Who influenced you to take this opportunity? NP: My dad spent most of his career as a professor, and it’s something I always knew I’d do on the side. Additionally, some of my favorite college professors were adjuncts, making the decision to get into the field easy for me.
NL: Tell us a little bit about your position. NP: I’ve managed nearly every marketing channel at one point or another during my four years at Squarespace, and as the company has grown, my role has evolved accordingly. I currently work on what we
NL: What made you interested in teaching at FIT? NP: It’s a school at the intersection of fashion and technology, which happen to be two of my biggest interests.
Photo courtesy of squarespace.com.