Xanthea Riordan
Creative Consultant / Social Strategist / Founder of White Sage
Melbourne, AUS
www.white-sage.com
instagram @white__sage @whitesage__collective
Q What do you do?
“I creating holistic and intentional story telling through digital and physical landscapes.”
This means I handle all the ways in which a brand is seen and felt. From graphic design, to campaign shoot direction, to social content roll out, to the styling of a space, and even the tone in which copy is written. I help brands divulge and express their offering through a brand-forward approach.
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
I actually studied interior design, and during this time I worked casually in retail. As I was studying and learning about projects, I began an Instagram account called @white__sage to upload projects I was learning about that spanned art, interior, and fashion.
While working in stores, I began to understanding the importance of visual merchandising, a well styled space, and polite staff, to curate a customers embodied experience of a brand.
After working in Interior Design, I realised I was more interested in the branding touch points of design (graphic, product and interior) and candidly, found the traditional model of Interior design to be quite one-dimensional. I understood a beautifully taken editorial image could rouse emotions like a beautifully designed space. And I wanted my hands on the whole of the project.
Simultaneously, I was sharing projects and images on @white__sage and the community on there grew (I currently have 169k). I shifted professional focus to consult for lifestyle and fashion clients social media directing campaign shoots, Instagram accounts and email marketing. I also create content within @white__sage and my personal Instagram account and share this photography with clients.
Q How do you stand out in your field?
I stand out due to the focus on brand over trend based content creation. There is longevity in a brand that knows itself. My strength is in working with a client to uncover this and explore ways this can be expressed, extended and to securely inform decision making.
I have also learned and continue to test content and its performance through @white__sage. I can now anticipate what will track well on there, which can inform the creative direction I advise for clients when shooting so they can have success in their content.
Q What are you working on right now?
I'm working with a few retainer clients rolling out new product campaign and editorial pieces. I'm implementing a new brand voice and graphic guidelines with another temp client to set them up for best practice so they can continue rolling out among their team.
I'm really excited to be working on a physical expression of a brand and booking meetings and scouting locations for an upcoming trip to Asia.
Q What’s your style?
Refined design, purposeful colouring, a good ethos and clear, calm messaging. Anytime I'm working with BAINA I'm fortunate to be among a team who nail this. There is an upcoming Editorial piece which is perfectly aligned to my taste.
+ @white__sage my Interior mood board account.
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
I'd love to create more physical experiences. This would mean the styling of the space, selection of paper weights - anything touched, I'd love to work more on. These skills come from my Interior Design life and have had a chance to shine through this later conception in the furniture selection of pop ups.
Q What is frustrating you right now?
My personal file organisation.
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
I did see someone else's answer on here and I'm going to steal it — a personal chef. It sounds luxe but I get so invested in day to day work that I can often forget to eat so having someone create something healthy and delicious would be of great help to me.
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
There was a time early in my career when I was working at a beautiful Interior Design firm, that two of my dream clients both reached out to me within a week of each other asking if I were interested in doing their socials. At the time I declined to fully immerse myself in this profession I thought I should choose. As time passed and I realised my own qualms with the Interior Design industry I left. I then reached out to them again and was so incredibly fortunate they accepted.
I often go between the what would have happened if I just quit and went with them first off but I know I would have just wondered what would have happened if I stayed on my academic path. So maybe I'm best out of the Time Machine.
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
A retoucher! I'd love to learn about colour grading and tips and tricks.
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
I'm looking for projects where I can work with founders to create clear etiquette and branding for themselves / their brand and their presence both on and offline. This extends into graphic design, creative direction, photography, social media pillars, spatial design, voice and brand strategy.
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
My ideal job right now a cafe or retail space. I'd love to work on the space, creative direction, graphics (menu, socials, signage) and social strategy. I find the concept of a third place quite fascinating especially its emergence and growth in retail.
Being strategic about spatial design allows patrons to want to photograph it and share it on socials (free reach) and also progresses content so staff (or yourself) can photograph the space and it's changing offerings to share enough and continue online frequency.
I've just spent 6 months in Seoul where they nail this. Gentle Monster for one, but there are so many smaller wine bars, cafes and retail spaces who do this well. I'm itching to get more into this sphere that melds my retail, interior and marketing experience.
Q: What is your rate?
I work with clients on a monthly retainer that fulfils an agreed number of deliverables a month (i.e. 6x Grid posts, 12x Story posts etc.). Working in this monthly overview way ensures content pillars are hit so a full story can be told (as opposed to hourly rate). The amount of deliverables then correlate to the price per month. The more deliverables, the higher the rate.
I like to establish these clients with their own social branding and etiquette prior to the engagement so we can work on the story being told. The minimum agreement I engage in is 6x Grid posts, 12x Story posts, 2x EDMs at $1450. This assumes photoshoots and graphics have been prepared.
I also work with one off branding (graphics, art direction, creative direction, logo, social media templates), social strategy (voice, cadency, strategy content direction) and photography (Reel creation, iPhone content).
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
Feel free to email me at hello@white-sage.com! Let me know what it is you're after whether I've mentioned it here or not.
Q Who is a creative you admire?
@charlottejane.studio is a beautiful photographer, designer and friend of mine.
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
Grabbing a coffee with my partner or friends and seeing what they're up to.
This member profile was originally published in January 2026.