A small rectangular wood or plastic block, typically about 2 inches long and 1 inch wide and 3/8 inch thick — the size of a business card — with one side blank and the other marked with an arrangement of spots or pips, similar to those on dice. Domino, or dominoes (plural), may be used for playing games of chance or skill, for educational purposes, or simply to display an artistic arrangement. The word derives from the Latin domino, for a little table, and is also related to a similar game in China called mahjong.
Hevesh started collecting and arranging dominoes at age 10, and by the time she was a teenager, she had posted videos of her creations to YouTube. Her video channels now have more than 2 million subscribers, and she has created spectacular domino setups for movies, TV shows, and events, including a Katy Perry album launch. Some of her largest arrangements take several nail-biting minutes to fall, as the dominoes tumble according to the laws of physics.
When she is not creating her own domino artworks, Hevesh works on team projects with clients, helping them create domino setups for movies, TV shows, or events. She makes test versions of each section of an installation before putting it all together, and films the process in slow motion to check that everything is functioning correctly. She also tests each piece individually, and often creates a domino sculpture just to see how it will look.
Hevesh’s creative work is not only an art form, but it can also be a powerful tool for teaching and communication. Her work can inspire and encourage people to follow their dreams, no matter how big or small they might be. She has used her domino art to help raise money for charities, and she has worked with teams of students to use their creativity to promote healthy eating habits and exercise.
In the early 18th century, domino made its way to Europe. There, it lost its connection to the table game mahjong, and became a purely mathematical game of chance, involving matching tiles based on their number of dots or pips. European sets did not include suit distinctions, and the number of dominoes in a set was limited to 28.
When Domino’s CEO David Brandon was ousted from the company in 2012, new CEO Steve Doyle immediately put into place a series of changes that focused on listening to employees and addressing their concerns. He promoted a relaxed dress code and leadership training programs, and he spoke directly to employees about what they wanted from the company. The result was a renewed focus on customer satisfaction and a higher level of employee retention. Those principles have carried over to the brand’s new strategy. The company has also shifted its approach to leadership, moving away from the traditional top-down model toward a more behavioral theory that emphasizes leaders who are made rather than born.