We consult
with
creative
firms to
Refine
Evolve
Elevate
Their
business
strategies
and practices
What We do
We offer
customized
business
solutions
So that
our clients
are able to
- Envision and plan for their future
- Position themselves to stay competitive
- Build strong industry reputation, recognition, and relationships
- Pursue, qualify, and attract new business prospects and talent
- Refine, evolve, and elevate their organizational structure
- Improve how they manage their team and culture
- Generate more competitive and successful business strategies and communications
- Reimagine existing processes to increase efficiency and effectiveness
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Our Differentiators
When advising our clients in the services listed above, we utilize a variety of tools and experiences to inform our recommendations including:
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Because we work with hundreds of different firms, we have unparalleled insight into the latest trends and tactics as well as an opportunity to identify, test, and refine best practices. We leverage these ideas and strategies to elevate our clients’ business practices and evolve the creative industry overall.
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Emily is certified to conduct DISC and 12 Driving Forces assessments for our clients and their teams. These assessments help us examine the behaviors we each bring to our job—the “how we act” the way we do—and the motivators—the “why we act” the way we do. The assessment helps us work with our clients to:
- Reveal behavioral preferences, individual motivators, and unique strengths
- Hire, develop, and advance the right talent
- Increase employee productivity
- Improve communication
- Reduce partner and/or workplace conflict
- Build team-wide harmony and understanding
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We only work with creative firms. As we are both left- and right-brain thinkers, we have a dual perspective that helps us consider, balance, and understand the needs of both the creative and operational sides of managing a business. We’re not cookie-cutter consultants—we know what you do, how you do it, and why you do it. We understand why you love the creative industry, because we love it too!
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We believe that being women in a male-dominated consulting industry has given us an advantage in how we think about client relationships and business strategy. Our approach utilizes both our knowledge and love of business as well as compassion and flexibility. We put aside our egos, care deeply, and are personally invested in our clients’ long-term success.
Who We Are
Emily Cohen
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Emily is a no-nonsense business consultant who has partnered with more than 500 leading creative firms worldwide. Drawing on decades of experience, she has developed, tested, and refined insights and strategies that help creative businesses become more effective, profitable, and fun to work at. She has a particular passion and expertise in market positioning, business development, and organizational development.
A designer by degree, Emily is also an avid reader, dog lover, trend-spotter, connection-builder, and industry advocate.
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Emily is a frequently sought-after mainstage speaker in the creative industry, having presented at hundreds of international, national, and local conferences and events. Her speaking engagements include organizations such as CreativeMornings, AIGA, the Association of Registered Graphic Designers (RGD), AMA, AFA, The Type Directors Club (TDC), and Creative South. Her talks draw on her expertise in emerging trends and the common challenges of running and evolving a creative business, covering topics from market positioning and business development to staff and client management. Her talks offer industry insights, practical business strategies, and thought-provoking perspectives on navigating change, overcoming challenges, and taking action.
Emily has also been a guest on numerous industry-focused podcasts, both nationally and internationally, including The Futur, The Design Of, Brand Master Podcast, The Logo Geek Podcast, The Reflex Blue Show, Agency Bytes, and Focus On Brand.
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For more than ten years, Emily has taught the Business of Design at leading universities, including New York University (NYU), the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), and the Tyler School of Art and Architecture at Temple University. She is also a LinkedIn Learning instructor and has developed several courses for the platform.
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Emily is the proud author of Brutally Honest: No-bullshit business strategies to evolve your creative business, a business book she independently published in 2018. With more than 5,000 copies sold, the book has become a go-to resource for creative industry professionals worldwide and is used as a teaching tool at several universities. It also received a Judges’ Choice Award at the Mohawk Show.
Hunter Vargas
Partner & Lead Consultant
Hunter Vargas, Partner & Lead Consultant at Casa Davka, is a kick-ass yet empathetic business consultant with on-the-ground experience in creative businesses spanning project and client management, marketing, business development, and operations. At Casa Davka, Hunter takes a holistic approach to helping clients envision, plan for, and achieve their future business goals. She has a particular passion and expertise in improving operational efficiency and effectiveness, financial management, and client and team management, and excels at translating recommendations into clear, actionable steps for clients to implement.
Hunter has spoken at events and appeared on podcasts, including AIGA, the Association of Registered Graphic Designers (RGD), Agency Bytes, Focus on Brand, and Facebook Business. She holds a BA in Business with a specialization in Marketing.
Hunter lives in a small town in Colombia, aptly named Jardín, where you can most likely find her drinking tinto (aka coffee), taking client calls with the best views, hiking in the surrounding mountains, reading and people-watching in the park, or watching the sun set over the Farallones mountain range.
She also happens to be Emily’s daughter and can read her mind, which means they work together seamlessly, complementing and challenging each other along the way. (And don’t worry, we’re in therapy. 😉)
Why Casa Davka?
The brief we gave to our wonderful naming team (María Silva and Nihilo) was simple—we wanted a name that:
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We’re mother & daughter, we’re best friends, we’re business partners, and we are invested in our clients in a way that is caring and human.
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The industry is always evolving so we wanted a name that was intriguingly ambiguous.
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Strong, honest, nurturing, impassioned, direct, and with just the right amount of tough love.
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Our cultural heritage and generations, how we each think about and approach the work, and more.
And, thus, “Casa Davka” was born! “Casa” is “house” in Spanish, reflecting our family ties, the caring relationships we forge with our clients, and our investment in the future of the industry.
“Davka” is a Hebrew word that is very hard to define—like us and our business. It translates to something like “Definitely or exactly stated; specifically, or despite expectations to the contrary”, often with a slightly amused or ironic feeling.
Casa Davka pays homage to the value we place on our relationships and different cultures with a nod to our honest, distinctive approach.
Who We Work With
We partner with
amazing
creative
firms,
All of whom
inspire and
challenge us
(and us, them).
Some have written monographs or designed stamps for USPS while others have been recognized as national AIGA Medalists or as local AIGA Fellows. One of our clients won the National Design Award and another won a Grammy! While many of our clients are renowned in the industry, some are emerging or aspirational firms. Everyone we work with is smart, talented, and cares deeply about how their actions and practices impact the work we do. A large portion of our clients are graphic design firms that specialize in branding, digital, editorial, packaging, experiential, wayfinding, and more, but we also work with marketing, industrial, interior, and service design agencies. And, we couldn’t be prouder to work with every single one of them!
Our Book
Brutally
Honest
No bullshit
strategies
to evolve
your
creative
business
Brutally Honest is chock full of advice, insights, best business practices, and actionable strategies and includes 20 compelling, real-world case studies from other creative professionals. Critical business challenges explored and addressed in this book include: positioning & specialization, marketing, case studies, new business development, strategies for qualifying new clients, pricing, retainers, proposals, contracts, organizational structures, staff management, client and project management, creative briefs, and industry trends. Unlike many other professional practice books for our industry, Brutally Honest is designed for visual learners and includes colorful, illuminating information graphics and checklists, as well as short, insightful sound bites and quick wins.
Brutally Honest is out-of-print but, you can order the e-book!
$28 + tax
PDF & EPUB formats
Questions? Email me!