Stanley Meston designed the original 1950s McDonald's restaurant with its distinctive golden arches.
Meston worked with McDonald's operators Richard and Maurice McDonald to create a building that could be recognized from the road. The design used two tall yellow arches at opposite sides of the restaurant, along with a red-and-white color scheme and a streamlined form.
Those physical arches were not initially the same thing as the later corporate logo. Jim Schindler adapted the architectural idea into the stylized M used as the McDonald's logo in 1962.
The early building design supported McDonald's emphasis on speed, visibility, and standardized service. It also helped make the restaurant's architecture part of its branding long before the modern logo became dominant.