McDonald's introduced the Golden Arches as its main logo symbol in 1962.
The arches had first appeared as architectural features on restaurants, but the company later turned them into a recognizable graphic mark. Jim Schindler, McDonald's head of construction and design, combined the two arches into the stylized letter M used in the 1962 logo.
The change was important because it transformed an architectural feature into a portable brand symbol that could appear on signs, packaging, advertising, and uniforms. The arches became one of the most recognizable corporate marks in the world.
A common mix-up is treating the original restaurant buildings and the logo as the same development. The building arches appeared earlier, while the familiar combined Golden Arches logo was introduced in 1962. Later versions simplified the design and sometimes displayed the arches without the company's name.