McDonald's introduced its Golden Arches logo in 1962, combining two stylized arches into the familiar letter M.
The arches began as physical architectural features on McDonald's restaurant buildings. Architect Stanley Clark Meston designed the original pair of arches for a restaurant in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1952. The design was intended to attract passing motorists and make the restaurants recognizable from a distance.
By 1962, McDonald's used a simplified graphic version of the arches as a corporate logo. The logo helped turn an architectural feature into a portable brand symbol that could appear on signs, packaging, advertisements, and uniforms. The arches have been revised in color and presentation over time, but the basic M shape remains central to the identity.
A common mix-up is to treat the 1962 logo as the date when the arches first appeared. The physical arches came earlier; 1962 marks their major use as the combined logo.