What two colors appear in McDonald’s Golden Arches logo?

McDonald’s Golden Arches logo uses yellow and red as its two signature colors.

The yellow arches are the logo’s defining shape, while red traditionally forms the surrounding field or accompanying wordmark. Together, the colors create a high-contrast combination that is easy to recognize at restaurant signs, roadside locations, packaging, and advertising distances.

The arches began as an architectural feature of McDonald’s early restaurants, but they became a graphic identity during the company’s expansion. Their strong color contrast helped make the symbol memorable across different markets and print formats.

A common mix-up is assuming that the arches themselves are red because many modern signs use a red background. In the classic presentation, the arches are yellow. The exact arrangement has changed across logo versions, but the yellow-and-red pairing remains closely associated with McDonald’s branding.