The original tile scheme of McDonald’s early restaurant design used red and white.
The red-and-white appearance became strongly associated with the early McDonald’s restaurant building designed by architect Stanley Meston. Its bold exterior, large glass windows, and prominent golden arches created a visual identity that customers could recognize from the roadside.
This architectural branding was important before McDonald’s relied primarily on a standardized corporate logo. The building itself acted as advertising, especially when restaurants were located along busy roads and used tall signs to attract passing motorists.
The colors are sometimes confused with the yellow arches, but yellow was associated with the arches rather than the original tile pairing. Later restaurants adopted many different architectural styles, while the red-and-white design remains an important part of McDonald’s visual history.