The combined arches in McDonald’s logo became known as the Golden Arches.
The symbol originated with the large yellow arches used in McDonald’s restaurant architecture during the 1950s. When the arches were combined into a single emblem in 1962, the result resembled the letter M and gave the expanding company a distinctive visual identifier.
The term “Golden Arches” refers to the arches themselves, not to a particular restaurant building. The physical arches were part of the early roadside design, while the logo could appear on signs, packaging, advertisements, and other brand materials.
The symbol later became recognizable without the McDonald’s wordmark. This is why people may call the company’s emblem simply “the arches.” Its strong association with the brand made it one of the clearest examples of architecture becoming corporate identity.