McDonald's introduced its modern unified Golden Arches logo in 1962.
The design transformed two architectural arches from McDonald's restaurants into a single recognizable “M.” The change helped turn a restaurant feature into a global corporate symbol. Earlier restaurants often displayed separate yellow arches, but the newer mark presented them as one connected form.
The logo is frequently confused with the original 1950s restaurant architecture. The arches themselves appeared on restaurant buildings before 1962; 1962 marks the important branding transition to the unified emblem. Jim Schindler is widely credited with refining the design used by the company.
The Golden Arches later became one of the most recognizable commercial symbols in the world. Although the exact logo has been adjusted in different eras and markets, the basic yellow-arch concept has remained central to McDonald's identity.