The arches in McDonald’s classic Golden Arches branding are yellow.
The bright yellow arches originated as highly visible architectural features on McDonald’s restaurants. Their color helped the structures stand out to motorists and made the restaurants easier to recognize from the road. When the arches became a graphic logo, the yellow treatment remained central to their identity and inspired the name “Golden Arches.”
The answer is sometimes confused with red because McDonald’s has frequently paired the arches with red backgrounds, signs, packaging, and restaurant design. Red is an important supporting brand color, but it is not the color that gives the arches their classic “golden” description. Modern restaurant designs may use different combinations, yet the iconic arches remain yellow in the traditional mark.
Color was especially useful in the pre-digital roadside environment. A bold, simple shape in a strong color could be identified quickly from a moving car. Together with the double-arch form, yellow helped McDonald’s create a visual signal that could work even when the restaurant name was not immediately readable.