McDonald’s two yellow curves are known as the Golden Arches.
The arches began as architectural features of McDonald’s restaurants rather than as a standalone logo. Architect Stanley Clark Meston designed the distinctive restaurant buildings for the McDonald brothers, including large yellow arches visible from the roadside.
The shape eventually became a symbol of the company itself. In 1962, McDonald’s adopted a logo in which the two arches were combined into an “M,” making the architectural motif easier to use on signs, packaging, advertising, and other brand materials.
The Golden Arches are sometimes confused with the entire McDonald’s logo, but the phrase can refer both to the original physical arches and to the broader corporate symbol. Their visibility helped McDonald’s identify restaurants to passing motorists before digital mapping or widespread highway signage.