Which McDonald's visual symbol was redesigned into the “M” logo by Jim Schindler?

Jim Schindler redesigned the Golden Arches into McDonald's familiar “M” logo.

The Golden Arches began as architectural elements on McDonald's restaurants during the 1950s. The arches were intended to make the buildings visible from the road, giving the restaurants a distinctive silhouette. In 1962, designer Jim Schindler combined the two separate arches into a single overlapping form that resembled the letter M.

That redesign changed the arches from a building feature into a portable brand symbol. The combined mark could be printed on paper bags, displayed on roadside signs, and reproduced in advertising without showing the whole restaurant. Its simple geometry also made it easy to recognize at a distance.

The symbol is often described simply as the “McDonald's M,” but its historical source was architectural. It was not originally drawn as an abstract letter from scratch; it evolved from the physical arches used on restaurant buildings.