The letter mark in McDonald's iconic Golden Arches logo is yellow.
The Golden Arches use a bright yellow color that echoes the large arches built into early McDonald's restaurant designs. The color became one of the most recognizable parts of the brand, especially when displayed against red backgrounds on signs, packaging, and restaurant exteriors.
McDonald's branding commonly combines yellow arches with red, but the arches themselves are yellow. This distinction matters because people may describe the overall sign as red and yellow or remember the red background more strongly than the letter mark.
The arches began as an architectural idea before becoming a simplified corporate symbol. Their shape and color helped McDonald's create a consistent identity across locations and media, even as restaurant buildings and advertising styles changed over time.