In the five decades since it started delivering pizza to the masses, Domino's has become a fast-food mainstay. Rivalled only by the likes of McDonalds and Subway, the pizza chain is the largest worldwide, with over 13,000 locations in 85-countries.

The Domino's brand is one of the most recognized in the western world, as is its signature gaming-tile logo. But it wasn't always the most ubiquitous pizza-maker on the planet, nor was its current logo the one that was intended.

Domino's began as a small independent pizza restaurant called DomiNick's, in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Domino's founder Tom Monaghan bought the restaurant with his brother James in 1960, and after a few years of decent sales decided to buy his brother's part of the business (for the price of an old Volkswagen Beetle).

By 1965 Monaghan had opened up two additional pizzerias and wanted all the locations to share the same name. When the original owner of DomiNick's refused the use of his name, Monaghan changed it to Domino's Pizza, Inc.

The company logo started with the three dots you see today – representing the three Domino's Pizza stores available in 1965. Monaghan initially planned to add a new dot with the location of every new location, but with its franchise operations growing so rapidly that idea quickly became unfeasible.

● It was established in 1960 in Michigan.

● The founders were Tom Monaghan and James Monaghan but after 8 months James traded his half of this business.

● In 2018 Domino’s became the largest pizza company in the world (considering the global retail sales)

● In 1993, the master franchisees were purchased in the UK and Ireland.

● Domino’s market in the UK and Ireland is the third-largest market right after the US and India.

● Domino’s has 16,500 stores spread across 85 countries worldwide.

The first logo came into existence in the 1960s inspired by the name of the company. The first impression is that it is noticeable but straightforward.

It consists of two parts, the upper part is a red domino with three dots, and the lower part is a blue domino with the name of the restaurant.

The dominos are placed horizontally one above the other.

The Domino has three dots because they symbolise the three restaurants where it all started.

Tom planned to add a new dot each time when a new restaurant opens. However, the business spread quickly which made this plan unachievable.

Considering that 200 stores were opened in the next 12 years, it is understandable why he gave up on this idea.

In 2003, Tom explained the three dots idea to CNN,

“I decided we’d put three dots on the Domino because we had three stores, and every time we added one, we’d add a dot. You can see I wasn’t thinking of a national chain back then.”

When it comes to the form, the slightly rounded shape of the dominos gives this logo design a modern look.

The font quite resembles Futura Condensed ExtraBold and is easy to read and plays well with the overall design. It merely reflects the brand style

The colour scheme can seem like it was chosen because of the contrast, which ensures that the logo is noticed by people who are passing by.

The colour combination can also be tied to the colours of the American flag.

This assumption is supported by the idea of adding a new dot to the Domino, which will represent the Domino’s restaurant just as the stars on the American flag represent its countries.


How the Logo Transformed with Time

As the years passed by, the Domino’s logo has changed several times.

Although changing the logo often isn’t recommendable, when a company exists as long as Domino’s it is a necessity.

Trends change, business’s success changes, and therefore, the need for innovation and adaptation arises.

The first change was made in 1977.


In 1996, the logo was redesigined once more


They probably decided that the first logo was better and more efficient since they went back to the very first design and made a few changes.

The rounded corners and the white background were back, and the capitalised company name was eliminated.

While they kept the signifying blue and red combination, the colour tone’s were different this time.

The colours were more soothing and pleasant to the eye, unlike the previous logo whose brightness couldn’t be unnoticed.

Considering that by this time Domino’s was a well-known company, they no longer needed to attract passersby with overly bright colours. The darker colours give the logo a more classy look.

The most notable change is probably the logo’s position; that is, it was flipped one more time.


The new change was that the logo was rotated. This look gave it a modern and unusual vibe that goes along with the new time.

The font has changed as well, and you will notice that it follows the quirky vibe, unlike the previous, more classical choice of font.

While this logo was exciting and fun, with the company’s growth, another logo change came around.

As the company expanded, so did their menu.

Domino’s has more to offer than just pizza since its menu features sandwiches, pasta, and much more.

This leads them to change the name from Domino’s Pizza to just Domino’s. It was shorter and more appropriate since they surpassed the time when they were just a pizzeria.

The name changed happened in 2012. The fourth logo refreshes followed this change


The logo changed followed the whole concept of helping people grasp that Domino’s is not just a pizza place but a recognisable food chain with a variety of products.


The lower, blue part of the logo was removed, leaving just the symbolic Domino with three dots.

The colours from the previous design were kept, but since there was no longer the blue portion of the logo, the Domino is now split between the blue and the red.

This logo design is situated next to the name of the company.

The logo became so recognisable that a discreet image of blue and red Domino with three dots is enough to make people understand which company is that.

Companies and businesses can learn a lot from this prominent food chain but what graphic designers can learn is how to craft a logo thoughtfully.

They’ve thought about everything.

From the representations of the first three restaurants to a colour combination that is now recognisable across the globe.

One of the most important lessons that we can learn is that the logo design must adapt to the company’s progress and time.

They redesigned the logo several times but still kept the core of the design that is essential for the branding.