McDonald's gave its two giant yellow arches the name “Golden Arches” when they became part of the company's logo in 1962.
The arches began as architectural features on McDonald's restaurant buildings. Architect Stanley Clark Meston designed the arches for the company's 1950s restaurants, where they helped make the buildings visible from the road. The shapes were later combined into the familiar stylized M.
In 1962, McDonald's adopted a logo based on the arches, transforming an architectural detail into a powerful corporate symbol. The arches have since become one of the world's most recognizable trademarks and are often used without the company's full name.
People sometimes call the symbol simply the “McDonald's M,” but “Golden Arches” is the established brand term. The name refers to the original building elements as well as the logo derived from them.