"Delivering the excitement of being the main character" - Highly rated for "co-creation experience-type" picture books that foster family bonds and self-affirmation. It is expected to be a service that creates a new family reading culture.
Iizuka Printing Co., Ltd. (Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Representative Director: Masaaki Iizuka) has won the 2025 Good Design Award (sponsored by the Japan Institute of Design Promotion).
It is extremely rare to receive an award as a picture book service, and it was highly praised as a "new experience design that deepens family bonds".
Award Overview
- Award Recipients ：Family participation personalized picture book production service "MY STELLA"
- Award number ：25G181446
- Award-winning companies : Iizuka Printing Co., Ltd. (MY STELLA Division)
- Categories : System/Service
- Announcement date : October 15, 2025
- Archive page ：https://www.g-mark.org/gallery/winners/33015
What is MY STELLA?
"MY STELLA" is a one-of-a-kind original picture book production service based on the concept of "delivering the excitement of being the main character".
Not only can you freely customize your child's name, birthday, hairstyle, skin color, favorite things, family structure, etc., but parents, siblings, grandparents, and even pets appear as characters. The whole family can enjoy the experience of "creating a story".
What is unique is that the picture book is not just a finished product, but the "process of making it" becomes a memory for the family.
Grandparents participate in the production using gift cards and QR codes, and photos and messages are included together, so that both the giver and the recipient work together to create a "family story".
The finished picture book has a beautiful album-quality finish, such as floral cloth, rounded corners, and high-durability binding. It is not the end of reading, but it will be a "memory book" that will remain across generations.
Features of the service
- Instant preview feature
Instantly composite up to 10,000 layers for instant input - Compatible with diverse family structures
Inclusive design that flexibly reflects the different shapes of families - High-quality binding
Album-quality finish such as 180-degree thread sewing machine binding, flower cloth, and rounded corners. - Environmental Considerations
Uses FSC-certified paper for a sustainable manufacturing process
Judges' evaluation (Good Design Award official evaluation)
It was praised for being a service that allows families to create original picture books together, and for being able to customize by entering their or their family's appearance characteristics and family structure. Its user-friendly design and sleek UI ensure ease of use. Another interesting factor is that there are plenty of binding options for picture books to be printed. It was also evaluated that it uses high-performance image processing functions on the backend and that the service operation system is fully considered. It is expected to be developed in the future as a new tool to promote family communication.
Judges ：Hidetomo Osada 、Tomomi Zuodian 、Haruyuki Seki 、Yu Mizuno 、Hong Khai Seng
Three design points evaluated in the Good Design Award
1. Co-creation experience that transforms family feelings into stories
The design transforms the family's feelings into a "story in which the child is the main character" and fosters a sense of self-affirmation and creativity through family co-creation experiences.
2. Craftsmanship Meets Technology
Combining the warmth of craftsmanship and handwriting with technology to surprise and impress, we offer high-quality new gift picture books.
3. Passing on the culture of paper and print to the next generation
We design new manufacturing in the digital age that incorporates environmental considerations and social contribution. An initiative to pass on the culture of paper and print to the next generation.
Development Background
In today's world, where children spend less time reading books and becoming increasingly addicted to digital technology, we wanted to redefine the value of the traditional medium of paper picture books.
In particular, as children's declining self-esteem becomes a social issue, we focus on mental growth through actual experiences rather than screens. I thought about whether I could leave the message "You are important" as a "treasure" that can be read over and over again.
In addition, as the printing and print culture is declining, by combining the warmth of paper picture books with digital technologies such as real-time generation, we have built a model that contributes to reducing environmental impact and improving literacy rates by providing a "co-creation experience" that has never existed before. We aimed to realize the growth of children, a sustainable society, and the inheritance of paper culture at the same time.
Technical Features
10,000 layers of instant synthesis technology
While respecting the warmth of hand-drawn drawings and the sensibility of illustrators, we have developed a unique system that can disassemble backgrounds, characters, decorative elements, etc., and instantly synthesize and preview up to 10,000 layers according to input.
Particular binding technology
- Thread sewing machine binding that opens 180 degrees : Readable and long-lasting binding
- Hanagire : Luxurious finish
- Corner rounding : Safe design for small children to read with peace of mind
- FSC certified paper : Environmentally friendly and sustainable materials
- Optimal size (25.8×21.5 cm): Size that is easy for children to handle and store
What customers say
Since the start of the service, we have received warm feedback from many customers.
- "I am pestered to read it over and over again."
- "It has become a treasure that I want to keep even when I grow up."
- "I was very happy when I gave it as a gift from my grandparents."
- "When I gave it as a baby gift, she shed tears and was happy."
- "The whole family has appeared, and the children have been looking back on it over and over again."
Product Information
Introducing two representative works of Mystera
Welcome to the beautiful sekai
Target: 0-3 years old / Ideal for baby gifts, first birthdays, etc.
The first book celebrates the "miracle born into this world".
■What can be personalized?
Messages containing the origin and thoughts of the child's hair color, eye color, family structure, name, naming, guide (dragon, tengu, robot, unicorn) who travels with the story, album page.
Click here for the work page ›
Look for it! Find it! Mysterious
Target: 3-7 years old / Recommended for birthdays and graduation celebrations
A search picture + adventure picture book in which the main character and his family travel around a mysterious country.
■What can be personalized?
Your child's name and appearance (hairstyle, skin color, etc.), dad, mom, siblings, dog, cat,
You can add up to 5 original messages, growth records, and family photos.
Click here for the work page ›
Specification
- Size ：25.8×21.5cm
- Bookbinding : Thread sewing machine binding hardcover, rounded corners
- Paper : Use of environmentally friendly paper such as FSC certified paper
- Price : 5,950 yen to 6,930 yen (tax included) *Varies depending on the type of picture book
- Start of service : March 2025
Sales Channels
- Official EC site: https://mystella.me/
- Photo studios, gift shops, and bookstores nationwide
Future developments
In the future, we plan to take the following initiatives.
- Promoting reading habits through collaboration with educational institutions and local governments
- Development of picture books that convey the charm of the region
- Disseminating Japan's picture book culture and manufacturing through overseas expansion
- Expanding the new storyline
As a creative brand from Shizuoka, we will expand the "culture that leaves the thoughts of family in the future" and create an era in which "family stories" connect society.
Project Team
- Producer : Jun Iizuka (Iizuka Printing Co., Ltd.)
- Director : Jun Iizuka (Iizuka Printing Co., Ltd.) / Cooperation: Dentsu Co., Ltd. (Masa Hirashima, Atsushi Ueno, Yasuhiro Omori, Yumiko Yokoyama, Yoshiaki Shiota, Tomoko Matsumoto)
- Designer : Jun Iizuka (Iizuka Printing Co., Ltd.)
Company Profile
- Company Name : Iizuka Printing Co., Ltd.
- Representative : Masaaki Iizuka
- Location :Shizuoka Prefecture
- Business Description : Printing business, operation of personalized picture book production service "MY STELLA"
- Entrepreneurship : 1955 (70 years since its founding)
- Official website ：https://mystella.me/
Inquiries regarding this matter
Iizuka Printing Co., Ltd. MY STELLA Division
Email: Please contact us using the inquiry form
Official website: https://mystella.me/
Official Blog: https://mystella.me/blog/
Related Links
Requests for image materials and interviews related to this press release
For information on providing image materials for press releases or requesting interviews, please contact the above contact information.
Editor's note
Why did we, a printing company that has been in business for 70 years, decide to work on personalized picture books? It was because of a strong desire to "leave the culture of paper and print to the next generation."
As digitalization progresses, the value of paper picture books is being reevaluated. The warmth of picking it up, the sound of turning the pages, the time to read together as a family... These are irreplaceable experiences that can never be replaced by a digital screen.
Winning the Good Design Award this time is a testament to the social recognition of our efforts and a great encouragement. We will continue to deliver picture books that are loved by everyone as a service that "leaves the thoughts of the family in the future".
Thank you for your continued support of MY STELLA.
All members of the MY STELLA Division
*This article is current as of October 15, 2025.
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