What McDonald's restaurant design featured a large yellow arch on each side of the building?

The McDonald's restaurant design featuring a large yellow arch on each side of the building was known as the Golden Arches. The paired arches were architectural elements before they became a standalone corporate logo.

Architect Stanley Meston developed the design for McDonald's early buildings, with sign artist Charles Fish helping create the roadside sign treatment. The arches were intended to attract motorists and make the restaurants easy to recognize from a distance.

The two arches were later joined visually into the M-shaped emblem associated with McDonald's. This history explains why the term can refer both to the original building features and to the broader brand symbol. The Golden Arches should not be confused with the Speedee Service System, which described restaurant operations rather than architecture.