Jim Schindler combined McDonald's two arches into the recognizable Golden Arches “M” logo.
The early McDonald's buildings used separate yellow arches as architectural elements. In the 1960s, designer Jim Schindler combined their forms into a single stylized letter M for corporate identification. This change made the arches work not only on a building but also on packaging, signs, advertisements, and other brand materials.
The result was a major shift in McDonald's visual identity. The arches retained a connection to the chain's roadside restaurants while becoming a simple, reproducible symbol that could travel easily across media and countries.
People often attribute every stage of the arches' creation to one person. Stanley Clark Meston designed the original restaurant architecture, while Schindler is associated with combining the two arches into the logo. Ray Kroc drove the company's expansion but did not design this mark.