What are the famous yellow arches in McDonald's logo called?

The famous yellow arches in McDonald's logo are called the Golden Arches.

The arches began as architectural features of McDonald's restaurants rather than as a purely graphic symbol. Architect Stanley Clark Meston designed the paired arches for a 1950s restaurant design, making the buildings visible from the road.

When the arches were combined into a stylized letter M, they became one of the world's most recognizable corporate marks. The logo's simplified form eventually worked independently of the restaurant buildings that inspired it.

People sometimes call the mark simply the McDonald's logo, but Golden Arches is the established name for the branding symbol. The phrase also became shorthand for the global spread of American fast-food culture.