Which designer created McDonald's 1962 Golden Arches logo as a unified letter M?

Jim Schindler created McDonald's 1962 Golden Arches logo as a unified letter M.

The Golden Arches began as separate architectural elements on McDonald's restaurant buildings. The arches were designed for the company's early restaurants and became increasingly important as a recognizable visual symbol.

In 1962, McDonald's adopted a logo that combined the two arches into a single stylized “M.” Jim Schindler is credited with developing this unified form, which transformed an architectural feature into a corporate mark.

Stanley Meston is associated with the original architectural arches, not the later unified logo. Ray Kroc led McDonald's expansion, while Louis Cheskin worked on marketing and consumer research. Those roles are often mixed up when the history of the arches is summarized.