Which McDonald's symbol appeared on restaurant signs before the arches formed the letter M?

The single arch was the McDonald's symbol used on restaurant signs before the arches formed the letter M.

Early McDonald's restaurants used large golden arches as architectural features and visual sign elements. The arches were intended to make the restaurants noticeable from the road and to give the buildings a distinctive identity.

In 1962, the two arches were combined into an M-shaped logo. That design transformed an architectural feature into a compact corporate mark that could be used on signs, packaging, and advertising.

The single arch is sometimes confused with the modern Golden Arches logo. The modern mark depends on the pair of arches, while the earlier single arch belonged to the restaurants' original building design.