McDonald's Golden Arches are traditionally associated with the color yellow.
The arches began as physical architectural features on McDonald's early restaurants before becoming the company's most recognizable graphic symbol. Their bright yellow color helped the signs stand out from a distance and contributed to the name “Golden Arches.”
The arches are often shown against a red background in McDonald's restaurant signs, packaging, and advertising. This can cause confusion because red is also strongly associated with the brand, but the arches themselves are conventionally yellow.
The Golden Arches should not be confused with the stylized “M” alone as a purely typographic mark. The color, shape, and restaurant architecture together helped make the symbol recognizable worldwide.