What two-word symbol became McDonald's best-known logo in 1962?

The Golden Arches became McDonald's best-known logo in 1962.

The arches originated as architectural features on early McDonald's restaurants. Architect Stanley Clark Meston designed the distinctive yellow arches for the 1953 restaurant in Phoenix, Arizona. The forms were visible from the road and helped restaurants stand out in a growing automobile culture.

In 1962, McDonald's adopted a logo based on the arches, turning a building feature into a globally recognizable brand symbol. The arches are sometimes mistaken for a literal letter M created independently of the restaurants, but their history began with roadside architecture. Later logo versions simplified the design while keeping the paired yellow curves.