The image on the stamp is a digitally colored depiction of the invisible bands of mid-infrared light emitted by the Pillars of Creation. By assigning color to various infrared wavelengths, the digitized image allows us to see a landscape otherwise invisible to the human eye.

Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamp, using an image provided by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), ESA (European Space Agency), Canadian Space Agency, and Space Telescope Science Institute.