McDonald's replaced its early Speedee identity with the Golden Arches logo in 1962.
Jim Schindler designed the 1962 logo by combining the restaurant's two yellow architectural arches into a stylized letter M. The change gave McDonald's a simpler symbol that could work on signs, packaging, uniforms, and advertising.
The transition reflected the company's growth under Ray Kroc. Speedee had represented the McDonald brothers' original Speedee Service System, but the expanding corporation needed a visual identity that was less tied to a chef mascot and more adaptable across many locations.
The Golden Arches did not appear from nowhere: they originated as physical building elements designed by Stanley Clark Meston in 1952. This distinction explains why accounts of the logo mention both Meston and Schindler. Meston created the architectural arches; Schindler created the later logo form.