The Golden Arches became McDonald’s primary corporate symbol after the two arches were combined.
The arches began as physical design elements on McDonald’s restaurant buildings. Their height and bright yellow color helped the restaurants stand out beside roads and in suburban commercial areas. Over time, the shape became more recognizable than the individual buildings that carried it.
In 1962, designer Jim Schindler joined the two arches into a stylized “M.” This made the mark useful on signs, packaging, advertisements, uniforms, and other materials. The symbol could communicate the McDonald’s identity even when the full restaurant name was absent.
The Golden Arches are sometimes described as having been invented as a logo from the beginning. Historically, their architectural use came first. Their later combination into a corporate mark is what turned them into one of the most famous examples of visual branding. The term also refers to the recognizable yellow arches themselves, not to a slogan or mascot.