The phrase beneath the golden arches in McDonald’s 1960s logo design was “McDonald’s.”
The early corporate logo combined the recognizable arches with the company name, helping customers connect the architectural symbol to the restaurant brand. This was an important transition from the arches as physical building features to the arches as a repeatable graphic trademark.
The logo is often remembered only as the golden “M,” but the wordmark beneath or alongside it was essential during the period when McDonald’s was building recognition across many new locations. A symbol could attract attention, while the name made the business unmistakable.
Later versions simplified the identity and increasingly allowed the arches to stand alone. The company’s red-and-yellow color pairing also became strongly associated with the logo, although exact layouts and typography changed over time. The historic design should not be confused with an advertising slogan, which served a different branding purpose.