McDonald's yellow M-shaped logo is officially known as the Golden Arches.
The name comes from the large golden arches used in the architecture of early McDonald's restaurants. Architect Stanley Clark Meston designed the arches for the restaurant buildings, and the shape later became the company's central visual symbol.
The arches were originally architectural features rather than a standalone corporate logo. In 1962, Jim Schindler combined the two arches into the stylized M associated with McDonald's branding. The symbol eventually became recognizable even when the restaurant name was not shown.
The Golden Arches are often described simply as the McDonald's logo, but the name refers specifically to the arch design and its historical connection to restaurant architecture. The symbol is not the same as the company's wordmark, which spells out “McDonald's.”