Banksii blends AI, art and architecture to create a luxury residential brand grounded in mood, nature and timeless design.
Dutch golden dreaming
When architecture meets art, something magical happens. When you throw AI into the mix? Something even better.
That was the starting point for Banksii – a luxury residential project whose name and form are inspired by the native Grevillea banksii flower.
Brought to life by Vector Property Australia, CORE Property Partners and MAS, Banksii is a collaboration rooted in vision, precision and elevated design thinking.
For Jake, one of our talented designers at Desire Studio, this botanical muse became the seed for a brand identity that’s anything but ordinary.
We sat down with Jake and he took us behind the scenes of the creative process from building a hyper-real still life with ChatGPT, MidJourney and Photoshop, to shaping a visual language that bridges natural elegance with urban luxury.
The final artwork, rooted in Dutch Golden Age aesthetics, became the cornerstone for Banksii’s branding to be used across the project’s entire brand system.
Here’s how it all came to life.
What was the initial brief or creative spark behind Banksii’s identity?
The creative spark came from the architectural concept itself. The building was inspired by the Banksia flower, which gave us a poetic and organic foundation to work from. That connection to nature, both literal and symbolic, became the heart of the brand identity.
How did the architectural inspiration from the Banksia flower influence your visual direction?
The Banksia flower’s structure is both intricate and bold, a perfect metaphor for the architecture. We drew from its organic forms, rich textures and symmetry to inform not only the visual language but also the composition and mood of the key artwork
You used a mix of ChatGPT, MidJourney and Photoshop to develop the key artwork – can you walk us through how that hybrid process unfolded?
It started with strategic prompting in ChatGPT to craft a detailed vision. In this case, blending classical still-life techniques with a specific botanical focus. That prompt was then fed into MidJourney to generate a series of visuals. From there, I curated the best elements, collaging and refining them in Photoshop.
How did you arrive at this prompt to give to AI?
I began with the architectural reference and the Banksia flower itself. Then layered in historical art references that aligned with the tone of the brand: rich, sophisticated, moody, and grounded in natural beauty.
ChatGPT helped me refine the language to be specific and evocative enough to direct the AI’s output clearly, while still leaving room for creative exploration.
What did the ChatGPT prompt help you unlock that you may not have landed on otherwise?
ChatGPT helped bridge the gap between concept and creation. It allowed me to explore visual directions. It essentially gave structure to my vision, turning abstract ideas into something tangible enough to feed into MidJourney.
One thing we loved was how the key art became more than just a visual asset, it acted as a storytelling tool. From signage to digital campaigns, the artwork elevated the brand beyond real estate into something cultural and crafted.
What was the most challenging part of working with generative tools in this context?
The biggest challenge was controlling consistency and logic in the outputs, especially with the botanical details. Generative tools can sometimes distort perspective or anatomical structure.
That’s where Photoshop came in as a key part of the process to refine and layer to bring clarity and human design judgment to the composition.
Did anything surprise you about using AI in a brand design workflow?
Yes! The speed and range of exploration. What would have taken days of sketching and concepting could be visualised in hours.
But what surprised me most was how important the human touch still is. AI gave me range, but not refinement. The best outcomes happened when the technology worked hand-in-hand with a clear creative direction and hands-on editing.
Is there anything else you feel like would be cool to include about the branding for Banksii?
One thing I loved was how the key art became more than just a visual asset, it acted as a storytelling tool. From signage to digital campaigns, the artwork elevated the brand beyond real estate into something cultural and crafted.
It helped us position Banksii not just as a place to live, but as a lifestyle grounded in beauty, design and nature. That emotional layer made all the difference in cutting through the typical apartment marketing space.
Layered thinking
The Banksii identity is a case study in process, intuition and creative collision. By blending old-world aesthetics with new-world tools, Jake and the Desire team created a brand that feels rooted in place and elevated in vision.
We used AI not to cut corners, but to flow into a new way of working. It’s a reminder that while AI can open doors, it’s human direction that makes the work resonate.
Great branding tells a story. Banksii is inviting you into a world where past, present and possibility grow together.