Which 1960s McDonald's logo first combined the two separate arches into an M?

The Golden Arches logo first combined McDonald's two separate arches into an M in the 1960s.

Early McDonald's restaurants used individual arches as architectural elements, often positioned at opposite sides of the building. The logo design brought those forms together, creating a single symbol that could identify the company even when no restaurant building was visible.

The combined mark is commonly associated with the 1962 redesign credited to Jim Schindler. Its importance was not simply decorative: it converted a recognizable building feature into a flexible corporate identity used across signs, packaging, advertising, and merchandise.

The Speedee logo came earlier and featured the company's original mascot. McDonaldland branding came later and represented the fictional advertising world, so neither describes the M-shaped symbol created from the two arches.