After university, finding a job was challenging for Laura Feavearyear due to her visual impairment. She decided to create opportunities for herself, built a portfolio and began practising freelance design, proving that her disability did not hinder her creativity.
Once she had built a portfolio of commercial work, Feavearyear started contacting companies to see if they needed a designer. Her first big break was with MediaWorks Radio, where she looked after nine radio brands. The role gave her a solid foundation in marketing, copywriting, and media planning—skills she has continued to use even today.
Feavearyear then became the Senior Creative at Mexico Restaurants, which taught her a lot about food photography.
Her first FMCG client was OOB Organic, where she worked on small projects such as updating packaging and marketing materials.
Seeking more FMCG brands led her to Dr Feelgood, where she was allowed to design the entire brand, and the project earned her an award. This inspired her to work with more food startups that needed design expertise.
For many years, Feavearyear continued working with FMCG brands, gradually taking on more comprehensive projects. As her workload increased, she decided to leap into full-time FMCG design, starting her own business, Creative Jam.
Feavearyear was inspired by Annie Dow and aspired to one day have the same level of influence and impact on young designers.
“My biggest thrill is seeing my work in people’s shopping carts and homes. I love it when someone says, “Oh, did you design that? I buy that all the time.” Knowing that I’ve contributed to meaningful products that impact people’s daily lives gives me a deep sense of purpose,” said Feavearyear.
Another major accomplishment for her has been launching her FMCG brand, Sneekico, in November 2024 by leveraging her skills and industry relationships.
“Running my brand has been an incredible learning experience. It has given me a firsthand understanding of the industry and allowed me to test ideas in a real market—insights I now bring to my clients at Creative Jam.”
She added that over the years, various people have questioned her capabilities. Still, she has always been driven, confident and unafraid to experiment and push boundaries, even if an idea seems wildly different from the norm.
One piece of advice she would give her younger self when entering the industry would be to find a niche sooner. She always had a gut feeling that packaging design was her strength as it felt natural and exciting, but she wished she had had the confidence to start Creative Jam earlier.
“New freelancers often feel they need to take on any and every job just to pay the bills. You end up becoming a jack-of-all-trades, which can be exhausting. Saying no and specialising in a niche is hard and scary, but it’s the best decision I ever made for my career.”
