McDonald's called its paired yellow arch shapes the Golden Arches.
The arches began as architectural features of McDonald's early roadside restaurants. Architect Stanley Clark Meston designed the distinctive buildings for the McDonald brothers in the early 1950s, including large yellow arches at the sides of the structure. From a distance, the arches were visible to passing motorists and helped the restaurants stand out.
The design later became more than a building feature. In 1962, Jim Schindler combined two arches into the stylized letter M used in McDonald's corporate identity. The Golden Arches therefore changed from physical architecture into a recognizable graphic trademark.
People sometimes confuse the Golden Arches with the McDonald's wordmark or with the company's mascot, Ronald McDonald. Those are separate branding elements. The arches are the enduring symbol most closely associated with the restaurant chain itself.