Which McDonald’s logo feature was added in 1968 beneath the Golden Arches?

The McDonald’s wordmark was added beneath the Golden Arches in 1968.

The 1968 logo placed the company name below the familiar yellow arch symbol, creating a combined mark that could identify the restaurant even when viewers were unfamiliar with the arches alone. The lowercase lettering became an important part of McDonald’s visual identity and was used on signs, packaging, advertising, and restaurant materials.

The arches had already evolved from architectural features into a logo: Jim Schindler combined the two arches into an M-shaped emblem in 1962. Adding the wordmark strengthened the connection between the symbol and the company name. Later logo variations changed colors, proportions, and whether the lettering appeared, but the arches and the McDonald’s name remained central elements. A common mix-up is to treat the arches as the entire original logo; in practice, the combined symbol-and-name treatment became especially recognizable after the 1968 refinement.