McDonald’s introduced the logo combining its two arches into an “M” in 1962.
The company’s original arches were physical structures attached to restaurant buildings. By the early 1960s, McDonald’s needed a graphic mark that could work across signs, packaging, advertising, and corporate materials. The joined arches created a compact symbol that resembled the letter M while retaining the architectural idea.
This change helped move McDonald’s branding from individual restaurant design toward a unified national and international identity. The logo has been redrawn and presented in different color combinations over time, but the basic golden M remained central to the brand.
The date is often confused with 1952, when the arches first appeared as building features, or 1968, when another important logo redesign was introduced. These were separate stages in the development of McDonald’s visual identity.