Jim Schindler created McDonald’s familiar Golden Arches “M” logo in 1962.
The mark developed from the yellow arches that had first been used as architectural elements on McDonald’s restaurant buildings. Schindler combined the two arches into a stylized “M,” turning a building feature into a compact corporate symbol that could work on signs, packaging, uniforms, and advertising.
This 1962 design is distinct from both the earlier arches and later variations. The company has changed colors, lettering, and surrounding layouts over time, but the paired arches have remained the central visual identifier for McDonald’s around the world.
People sometimes date the logo to the restaurant’s founding or to the 1950s because the arches were already visible then. The important distinction is that the architectural arches came first; the recognizable combined logo was created in 1962.