McDonald's introduced its modern corporate wordmark with the Golden Arches in 1968.
The 1968 design combined the recognizable arches with the McDonald's name, creating a compact corporate identity that could work on restaurant signs, packaging, advertising, and company materials. It followed earlier arch designs and helped standardize how the brand appeared as the chain expanded.
The year is often confused with 1962, when the arches were redesigned into the familiar integrated “M” form associated with the modern logo. The two dates mark different stages in the logo's development: 1962 is linked to the redesigned arches, while 1968 marks the wordmark treatment.
McDonald's later modified proportions, lettering, and color applications, but the combination of the arches and name became one of the world's most recognizable corporate identities.