McDonald’s combined its two arches into the familiar “M” logo in 1962.
The arches originally appeared as separate architectural features on McDonald’s restaurant buildings. In 1962, designer Jim Schindler joined the forms visually to create the golden “M” that became the company’s central corporate mark.
This change transformed a building feature into a portable brand symbol that could appear on signs, packaging, advertisements, and uniforms. The logo’s simple shape also made it easy to recognize from a distance.
The 1962 date is sometimes confused with the opening of the first McDonald’s restaurant or with Ray Kroc’s purchase of the company. Those were separate milestones: the logo change was a branding development during the chain’s expansion.