McDonald’s introduced its Golden Arches logo in 1962, creating the recognizable visual mark associated with the brand today.
The logo developed from the large yellow arches incorporated into McDonald’s restaurant architecture during the 1950s. Rather than representing only a building feature, the arches were combined into a stylized “M” for corporate identification.
The 1962 design is generally credited to McDonald’s engineer and design consultant Jim Schindler. It replaced earlier uses of the arches as separate architectural elements with a unified symbol that could appear on signs, packaging, and advertisements.
The Golden Arches should not be confused with the original restaurant arches designed for the 1950s buildings. Those physical arches predated the logo, while the familiar joined “M” was a later branding development.