What name is given to the yellow M-shaped symbol in McDonald’s branding?

The yellow M-shaped symbol in McDonald’s branding is called the Golden Arches.

The symbol developed from the physical arches built into early McDonald’s restaurant buildings. Architect Stanley Clark Meston designed the restaurant’s distinctive arched structures for the McDonald brothers in the 1950s.

In 1962, designer Jim Schindler combined the two arches into the recognizable M-shaped corporate logo. The arches eventually became more important than the building design itself and turned into one of the world’s most recognizable commercial symbols.

The Golden Arches are often mistaken for simply being a stylized letter M. They are both visually similar and functionally connected, but “Golden Arches” is the established name used in McDonald’s branding history.