The rival houses fantasy
Five families fight over a kingdom. The author makes one crest per house in the same style and puts them at the start of each part, the one that follows the house whose heir is taking power.
Design a coat of arms for a fictional family with AI
Arms for a noble house in your novel, classic heraldry with helm and motto or a round black and gold seal, name and motto written letter for letter. Workflow visible here, no account needed.
Real workflow: the arms of House Marlow, a blue and silver shield with a lighthouse and a raven under a helm, framed by mantling, then the same lighthouse and raven as a round black and gold seal. The French name and motto are correct on both.
At a glance
- You provide
- a text or a brief
- What the workflow produces
- 2 images in 1:1
- Canvas structure
- 5 nodes wired by 2 connections
- Models wired in
- GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst
- Cost of one full run
- about 6 credits, roughly $0.07
- Account
- The demo is visible without an account; generating requires a free account, trial credits included
In a fantasy of rival houses, every family has its colours, its beast and a motto the characters keep quoting. The author describes them in chapter two, and then they need showing: at the start of each part, on a bookmark, on a banner in the short film. This workflow draws the arms of YOUR house in two versions: a classic coat of arms and a modern seal that doubles as an ornament.
The hard part is the text and the look. Left alone, a model writes a fake Latin motto, stacks up animals and hands you an esports logo. The prompt names every element and quotes the name and motto. Sunburst spells them right, accents included, and keeps a clean drawing on white.
To put the house on its land, see the fantasy world map; for the family itself, the character family tree. Both crests cost six credits.
Actual renders from the demo
These are the files of the workflow above, exactly as the models produced them, unretouched. The starting point is shown when there is one.
Render
Who it is for
Fantasy novelists, writers of historical or medieval series, prop departments, LARP organisers.
Which files to provide
The house name and motto in quotes, two tinctures, one or two charges, and the style you want.
How it works
- 1
Pick two tinctures
A metal, gold or silver, and a colour, blue, red, green, black. That's the basis of heraldry, and what makes a crest readable from a distance.
- 2
One or two charges
An animal, an object, a building that says something about the house. The lighthouse and raven in the demo stand for vigilance and memory.
- 3
Write name and motto
In quotes, and keep the motto short: three or four words fit on a banner, a whole sentence spills over.
- 4
Use both versions
The full arms for a part-opening page, the seal for chapter headers, the bookmark or a character's signet ring.
Variations and use cases
The same canvas, tuned for different needs: each variation is two or three lines of prompt away.
The chapter ornament
The black and gold seal, shrunk to an inch, sits at the top of every chapter told from a Marlow's point of view. Readers know at a glance whose house they're in.
The short film banner
In the castle's great hall, two standards flank the throne. The prop department prints the arms on fabric, and the crest in the background matches the one the dialogue describes.
The launch merch
A self-published author is getting ready for book two. The seal becomes a stamp for signings, a sticker slipped into orders and the profile picture of her author account.
The LARP weekend
A club is running a three-day live action game with four factions. Each faction gets its crest, printed on tabards, on the camp flags and on the sealed letters passed around during play.
The series bible
A writer developing a medieval series gives each family one page in the bible: crest, motto, lands, alliances. Producers remember a house better when they can see it.
Common mistakes
Too many charges
A lion, an eagle, a sword, three stars and a tower: the crest becomes unreadable at small size. Keep one or two charges, that's what makes it recognisable.
Colour on colour
A black raven on a blue field disappears. The heraldic rule of alternating metal and colour exists for that reason: a light charge on a dark field, or the other way round.
A motto that runs on
A twelve-word sentence won't fit on a banner, and the model ends up mangling it. Three or four words, like a real motto.
Copying a real family's arms
Borrowing the arms of an existing family or town causes confusion and can create trouble. Invent your own charges and colours, that's the point of a fictional house.
Recommended models
GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst
Nano Banana 2.1
Recraft V4.1Frequently asked questions
Are the name and motto spelled right?
In the demo, yes: "MAISON MARLOW" and "La lumière veille" are exact on both versions, on the top and bottom banners of the arms and around the edge of the seal.
Is it real heraldry?
It's heraldry-inspired: colours and charges follow the basic rules, but the model doesn't blazon. If your novel describes the arms in technical terms, have someone who knows the vocabulary check the drawing.
Can I make crests for several houses?
Yes: duplicate the node for each house and keep the same style in the prompt, so the crests look like they belong to the same world.
How much do the two crests cost?
Six credits, three per crest on GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst at medium quality. A third house in the same style costs three more.
Why GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst?
Because it spells correctly on white, accents included, and keeps the drawing clean. It's the cheapest model in the catalogue, so doing the crests for every house in a series barely registers.
What output format?
The prompt asks for square. The seal came out square, 1254 x 1254; the coat of arms slightly taller than wide, 1199 x 1312, which suits a shield.
Can I get a transparent background?
The render comes out on white. Since the background is plain, any image editor cuts it out in a few clicks before you place the crest on a page or fabric.
Can I use it on merchandise?
Yes for a house you invented, in your book or on your merch. See the rules on commercial use.
Design a coat of arms for a fictional family with AI
Use this workflowFree account, no card required. The workflow opens pre-filled in your canvas.