Yellow was the color most associated with the original 1950s Golden Arches sign design.
The Golden Arches began as large architectural arches used on McDonald's restaurant buildings. Architect Stanley Clark Meston designed the early restaurant form, and the arches were incorporated into the roadside signs and building appearance during the 1950s.
Their bright yellow color made the restaurants highly visible from the road, especially when contrasted with the surrounding structure and signage. Over time, the arches moved from being primarily architectural features to becoming the central symbol of the McDonald's corporate identity.
The famous logo is often described as a yellow “M,” but the symbol's history is more specific: it developed from two separate arches associated with restaurant architecture. Red is also strongly associated with McDonald's signs and packaging, but it is not the defining color of the Golden Arches themselves. Later branding systems introduced additional colors and digital treatments without changing the arches' basic identity.