What nickname is commonly given to McDonald’s pair of yellow arches?

McDonald’s pair of yellow arches is commonly called the Golden Arches.

The arches began as architectural features on McDonald’s restaurants rather than as a standalone corporate logo. Architect Stanley Meston designed the prominent yellow arches for the company’s restaurant buildings in the 1950s.

The shape later became one of the world’s most recognizable commercial symbols. In 1962, designer Jim Schindler combined two arches into the stylized letter M used in McDonald’s branding. The company’s name is often associated with the arches even when no restaurant building is visible.

A common mix-up is treating the Golden Arches as the original name of the logo. The arches first referred to the building design, while the familiar overlapping M developed afterward. Their color and curved form were retained because they were highly visible from roads and easy to recognize at a distance.