The Domino Effect
A domino is a small rectangular block of wood or plastic, with one face bearing an arrangement of spots resembling those on dice and the other blank or identically patterned. Dominoes are cousins to playing cards and, like them, are used for a variety of games and tests of skill.
When Hevesh creates one of her mind-blowing domino designs, she starts by considering the theme or purpose she wants to convey. She then brainstorms images and words to inspire her creations. She also considers how her work might be displayed. In a few steps, she draws her track, or “domino art,” on a piece of paper, indicating the direction she wants the dominoes to fall and how many they will need to be.
Once the track is in place, Hevesh begins to play with the pieces to determine how they will fall. She can set up curved lines, grids that form pictures, or 3D structures such as towers and pyramids. Her goal is to make the dominoes look beautiful and be fun to play with.
When it comes to writing, Hevesh follows a similar process for plotting her books. “The best way to think of a novel is as a domino,” she says. “You start off with a small piece and it builds up, adding more and more each step until you have the big finish.”
The word domino has been around for centuries, but it didn’t become a part of the English language until after 1750. It may have been inspired by an earlier sense of the word that denoted a long hooded cloak worn together with a mask during carnival season or at a masquerade.
While the concept of a domino is simple, the forces that affect how it falls are complex. A domino only needs a tiny nudge to reach its tipping point, and once it does, its potential energy converts to kinetic energy and is transmitted to the next domino, giving it the push it needs to fall. And so on and so on.
A domino effect isn’t just about physical dominoes, but can be seen in businesses and in our daily lives as well. When you make a positive change in your life, it can spread to those around you, creating a chain reaction that has the power to transform countless lives.
In the early days of Domino’s Pizza, owner Jim Monaghan made a decision that would eventually help him grow his business. He prioritized placing pizzerias near college campuses, as he knew that students were his core audience and that they wanted to be able to get their food quickly. He’d been following one of his company’s most important values: Champion Our Customers. By listening to their needs, he was able to increase revenue and growth. And the rest, as they say, is history.