What name is given to McDonald’s iconic yellow architectural symbol?

McDonald’s iconic yellow architectural symbol is called the Golden Arches.

The arches originated in the restaurant design created for McDonald’s early locations. Architect Stanley Clark Meston developed the paired-arch concept for the company’s 1950s restaurants, where the structures were intended to make the buildings visible from the road.

In 1962, the arches were combined into a stylized letter M for McDonald’s corporate identification. This transformed an architectural feature into one of the world’s most recognizable commercial logos. The logo’s shape is sometimes mistaken for simply an initial, but its history is tied to the physical arches on early restaurant buildings.

The Golden Arches remain closely associated with McDonald’s even though modern restaurants do not always include large freestanding arches.