McDonald's introduced its first modern Golden Arches logo in 1962. The design transformed the restaurant's architectural arches into a recognizable corporate mark.
The logo was created by Jim Schindler, who combined the two arches into a stylized “M.” A diagonal line originally crossed the center, reflecting the shape and structure of the earlier buildings. This helped connect the new graphic identity with McDonald's physical restaurants.
The logo later changed as the company refined its branding. The central line disappeared in later versions, leaving the simpler arches that audiences recognize today. Because the restaurant buildings predated the logo, the arches' architectural origin is sometimes mistakenly dated to the logo's introduction.
The 1962 date therefore marks an important branding transition: McDonald's moved from using arches mainly as building features to using them as a portable international symbol.