Traci Daberko crafts computer-designed cards that look handmade

When I was a kid and would go to the drugstore with my mom, she would invariably wind up in the greeting card aisle. She'd stand in front of the racks, pulling this card and that, alternately cracking up at the humorous ones and tearing up over the sentimental ones. Hallmark knows how to pull a heartstring or two.

These days, I choose cards based on their aesthetic appeal rather than their written sentiment, and local graphic designer Traci Daberko creates just the kind I like. Her cards have a handmade, painterly patina that belies the fact that Daberko designs them on her computer.

"Her diverse design skills range from smart patterns and type treatments to fresh and funny illustrations," says Megan Gandt, senior art director of Seattle's Madison Park Greetings, which distributes Daberko's cards. "Most of all, I love her texture effects and layering. Traci is able to give her illustrations a warm, burnished look and feel, which is so rare to find in computer illustration."

Daberko designs cards for all occasions, including birthdays, baby showers, Mother's Day, Father's Day and thank-you notes. Her style has a retro feel reminiscent of Nashville's Hatch Show Print, a letterpress print shop famous for producing concert posters for Johnny Cash and other country music greats.

I especially like her "Welcome to 30" Pacific Northwest logger-inspired 30th birthday card and her sweet, pretty Mother's Day card, which provides step-by-step instructions for producing a perfect breakfast in bed. Her timely Father's Day card is a clever dissection of the "Anatomy of Dad's Wallet," with photos of his kids prominently displayed as "Your pride and joy (most of the time)."

Traci Daberko-designed Madison Park Greeting cards cost between $2.50 and $2.95 apiece. Her boxed notes are $11.99, and can be found at Northwest Art and Frame, City People's stores and Whole Foods Market stores.

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