Dominoes are small, flat blocks used as gaming pieces. They are sometimes called bones, cards, men, or pieces and are arranged edge-to-edge in sets with values from zero to six (the most common set has 28 dominoes) and have a square, rectangular, or oval shape. The most basic western game involves drawing and playing a domino, with each player trying to lay down a domino with a value matching that of an already-formed domino line. Each domino has a series of dots, known as pips, on its ends, which vary in number and arrangement. A domino with a large number of pips is known as a double-six; it has six on each end. A domino without any pips on the edges is blank.
A person who studies or practices dominoes is called a dominologist. Dominoes can be used to make a wide variety of artistic creations, from straight lines and curved lines to grids that form pictures when they fall, and even 3D structures like towers and pyramids. The art of dominoing is also a popular hobby, in which people try to make the largest possible lines and shapes by strategically placing the pieces.
Whether you are planning an intricate design or simply flicking the first domino into place, there’s something magical about watching the entire chain collapse, one piece after another. This is what inspired Lily Hevesh to create the ‘RAINBOW SPIRAL’ in 2017, a 15-color spiral made from 12,000 dominoes that took her over three weeks to complete.
The word domino comes from the Latin dominus, meaning “lord,” and it may have been used as a generic name for any type of gaming piece. In the 18th century, it became associated with a specific set of 28 dominoes that represent every combination of two different dice. This set of dominoes is the most popular and widely used in the United States, although many other types of domino sets are available worldwide.
In 2018, Domino’s launched an innovative and effective marketing campaign that demonstrated their commitment to thinking globablly and acting locally. The Domino’s ‘Paving for Pizza’ initiative aimed to tackle an issue all drivers have to deal with – potholes. By providing a solution to this problem, Domino’s showed their local community that they care and also gave customers a reason to visit their store in the future.
While many Domino’s initiatives are purely for marketing purposes, others have significant business and financial benefits. After the resignation of Domino’s CEO Tom Monaghan, CEO Anthony Doyle implemented several changes in the company, including a return to growth and profitability after years of stagnation and declining share prices. These initiatives, along with others such as a new purpose-built Domino’s delivery vehicle and drone delivery tests, have been the driving force behind Domino’s success.