What are McDonald’s famous yellow arches commonly called?

McDonald’s famous yellow arches are commonly called the Golden Arches.

The arches began as architectural features rather than a standalone corporate logo. Architect Stanley Meston designed sweeping yellow arches for McDonald’s restaurants in the early 1950s, helping the buildings stand out from the road.

In 1962, the arches were combined into the familiar stylized “M” logo. That design made the restaurant’s architecture into a portable brand symbol that could appear on packaging, signs, uniforms, and advertisements.

The Golden Arches are often mistaken for a symbol created entirely in the 1960s. Their visual roots are earlier, in the distinctive roadside restaurant structures developed during the 1950s.