What two colors make up McDonald's famous Golden Arches logo?

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McDonald's famous Golden Arches logo is made up of yellow and red.

The arches themselves are rendered in yellow, while red commonly appears in the surrounding wordmark, packaging, signs, and restaurant branding. Together, the colors became one of the most recognizable visual combinations in global fast food.

The arches began as architectural features on McDonald's restaurants in the 1950s. They were later combined into a stylized M, turning a roadside design element into a corporate symbol.

Color treatments have varied by market and by restaurant design. For example, some modern locations use muted or monochrome palettes, but the classic yellow-and-red combination remains the core public image associated with McDonald's.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Oct. 2026

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