Jim Schindler turned McDonald’s two architectural arches into the joined Golden Arches logo in 1962.
The original arches were physical features of McDonald’s restaurant buildings. They stood separately and helped attract motorists. Schindler adapted those forms into a single graphic mark whose shape suggested the letter “M.” This created a logo that could work on packaging, signage, advertisements, and other brand materials.
The 1962 redesign was part of a broader effort to give McDonald’s a more consistent corporate identity. The joined arches were simpler and more portable than the building architecture, allowing the symbol to travel beyond the restaurant itself. Over time, the mark became one of the world’s most recognizable commercial symbols.
The logo’s development is sometimes dated to the first restaurants with arches, but those milestones are different. The architectural arches emerged in the early 1950s, while the familiar joined logo is credited to Schindler in 1962.