Jim Schindler is credited with creating McDonald's modern Golden Arches logo from the restaurant's architectural arches.
The company originally used two separate yellow arches as prominent features of its restaurant buildings. Schindler combined those forms into a single graphic symbol, creating the recognizable M-shaped mark used in McDonald's branding.
This distinction explains why two names appear in accounts of the arches. Stanley Meston designed the original architectural arches for the restaurant buildings, while Schindler developed the joined graphic logo. Both contributed to the visual identity, but their roles were different.
The symbol became powerful because it could work without the full company name. On signs, packaging, uniforms, and advertising, the golden M provided an immediate visual shorthand for McDonald's and helped standardize the brand as it expanded internationally.