McDonald's introduced the Golden Arches as its first nationally recognizable logo in 1962.
The arches were inspired by the distinctive architectural arches on many early McDonald's restaurants. Architect Stanley Clark Meston designed the restaurant buildings for the McDonald brothers, and the arches became a visible roadside feature.
In 1962, consultant Jim Schindler combined the two arches into the stylized M-shaped symbol associated with McDonald's. This replaced earlier logo treatments that used the restaurant's name and a Speedee character more prominently.
The Golden Arches are often confused with the entire McDonald's wordmark, but they are specifically the paired yellow arches. Their simple shape helped the brand remain recognizable across languages and advertising formats.