What color combination became strongly associated with McDonald's Golden Arches?

Yellow and red became the color combination strongly associated with McDonald's Golden Arches.

The bright yellow arches were designed to be highly visible on roadside restaurant buildings and signs. Red was used extensively in restaurant exteriors, packaging, advertising, and other brand materials, creating a bold combination that could be recognized quickly from a distance.

The colors are not the same thing as the logo itself: the Golden Arches are the distinctive M-shaped symbol, while red and yellow are supporting brand colors. McDonald's later restaurants sometimes adopted more restrained designs, including dark green and muted architectural materials, but the classic yellow-and-red combination remains one of the clearest visual cues in the company's historical identity.