Domino's is a pizza company that has been redefining itself as a tech company, wrapped in a warm blue-and-red box. Now, it's brand matches.
The update isn’t radical, and it’s certainly not controversial (this isn’t a Cracker Barrel or Jaguar situation). But what makes it noteworthy is the precision: a modernization that aligns Domino’s digital design, some sonic branding, and packaging system into one unified identity.
This article comes from a recent Brand Critique Podcast episode with designer Miles Seiden, where we unpacked Domino’s new look, typography, packaging, and what it means for the future of food brands that behave more like tech startups than restaurants. If you’d rather listen, catch the full episode on YouTube.
The Box Becomes the Brand
It’s almost poetic that Domino’s entire design system revolves around a box.
Throughout the episode, we kept coming back to how the shape of the pizza box now informs everything—UI elements, menus, and even web banners. Those little notches that appear on packaging reappear in digital interfaces, creating a consistent “boxed-in” motif that’s subtly delightful.
And what's even better is that it’s systemic thinking. The UI mirrors the packaging, the packaging mirrors the logo, and the logo mirrors the experience. There's no 'supergraphics', though the box leans towards that. But it’s the kind of integration that makes the design invisible, and therefore incredibly strong.
Typography Behind the Domino
If there’s one potentially under-explored dimension in this update, it’s the typeface.
The new Domino’s font walks a line between boldness and restraint—geometric enough to feel modern, but with just enough humanist character to feel friendly. The lowercase letters feature a clever “notch” detail that echoes the domino shape, though it disappears in uppercase, something both of us missed.
“It’s a beautiful typeface,” Kaleb said. “But I wish they’d pushed that notch system just a bit further—maybe even made a display version that exaggerates it.”
Even so, the type design fits perfectly within today’s brand landscape. We’ve seen Amazon, Kit, and more all gravitate toward this condensed, high-impact sans serif approach. It’s a practical evolution, made for screen width, attention economy, and legibility at every scale. Eventually I'm sure we'll be bored of it, but for now, it's fresh.
And the details matter: Domino’s punctuation marks are nearly perfect circles—an intentional nod to the dots on the domino logo. It’s a small but satisfying gesture of visual continuity.
Sonic Branding That Hits Home
Domino’s new sonic branding, anchored by a new jingle and updated delivery sound cues, shows how sound can trigger memory. As I mentioned on the podcast, brands like Menards have long understood this—embedding their jingles into every in-store experience until it’s impossible to forget. Writing this post-recording, there's undoubtedly some tie between this jingle and Pavlov's dogs: just aimed towards people and pizza.
Domino’s builds on that logic. Whether you’re watching sports, scrolling social media, or waiting for your order, that audio cadence will serve as both brand signal and Pavlovian cue. It’s a form of branding that transcends visuals.
From Pizza Chain to Platform
One of the most striking things we discussed was Domino’s internal mindset:
“We’re a technology company that happens to sell pizza.”
That quote from Domino’s CEO says it all. The brand’s evolution has been as much about logistics as design. From the iconic Domino’s Tracker to texting a pizza emoji to reorder, their UX approach is rooted in frictionless delight, and is undoubtedly a reason they've surpassed Pizza Hut at the front of the pizza pack.
“Domino’s and Chipotle have mastered logistics,” Kaleb observed. “They present complex backend systems through beautiful, effortless user experiences.”
Lessons for Designers and Brand Teams from Domino's Rebrand
Here are three takeaways from Domino’s refresh worth remembering:
- Design for Systems, Not Silos: Every touchpoint—from pizza box to app UI—shares DNA. That’s what makes this identity feel so coherent.
- Tell the Story, Don’t Just Show the Logo: Domino’s avoided the trap of logo-first launches by embedding every element within real-world use cases.
- Embrace the Invisible Design Work: From logistics to sonic branding, the smartest parts of this update aren’t what you see, they’re what customers feel.
The Bigger Picture
Domino’s rebrand isn’t loud, ironic, or overly conceptual. It’s disciplined, modern, and human. It’s a masterclass in practical creativity—how to evolve a beloved global brand for digital life without losing the warmth that made it iconic.
As we wrapped the episode, Miles summed it up best:
“It’s refreshing to start a critique with all praise. Domino’s didn’t reinvent themselves—they just grew into who they already were.”
Listen to the full episode of Brand Critique with Miles Seiden on YouTube, and subscribe for more conversations on how brand, design, and culture intersect.
Bonus find: We also uncovered something fascinating: Jones Knowles Ritchie (JKR) had designed a (speculative?) Domino’s box back in 2016 for the UK market, with a blue box and a red box that combine to form the logo. Most orders, their research showed, include two pizzas—so the dual-color packaging becomes functional branding. It’s smart, minimal, and finally seeing the day of light with this update.
