Jim Schindler created the modern joined-arches McDonald’s logo in 1962.
Schindler worked as a designer for McDonald’s and combined the two architectural arches into a stylized M. This change made the arches practical as a compact graphic mark that could appear on signs, packaging, uniforms, and advertising.
The logo drew on restaurant architecture developed during the 1950s, but it was more than a simple drawing of two separate arches. Their overlap and central shape created the familiar visual identity associated with McDonald’s restaurants around the world.
The 1962 date is often mixed up with the years when the arches first appeared on buildings. The physical arches came earlier, while Schindler’s joined form represented a major step in turning the architectural design into a unified corporate logo. Later versions changed colors and typography, but the core M remained recognizable.