Red and yellow are the two colors most closely associated with the classic McDonald's Golden Arches logo.
The bright yellow arches were designed to stand out visually, especially on roadside signs viewed by passing motorists. Red commonly appeared in the surrounding sign panels, backgrounds, and other parts of McDonald's restaurant branding.
The combination became strongly linked with the chain's identity during its expansion in the mid-20th century. Its high contrast helped make restaurants easy to recognize from a distance and gave the brand a consistent appearance across locations.
McDonald's has also used other color schemes, particularly in some later restaurant designs and international markets. Green exteriors and more restrained architectural palettes sometimes accompanied environmental or upscale redesigns, but the familiar red-and-yellow combination remains the classic branding reference.