McDonald’s classic Golden Arches color scheme combines yellow arches with a red background or red brand elements.
The arches became one of the world’s most recognizable corporate symbols after McDonald’s restaurants began using them as a visual architectural and advertising device. Their bright yellow color made the shape easy to notice from a distance, while red became strongly associated with the chain’s signs, packaging, and advertising.
People sometimes describe the symbol simply as the “golden” logo, but the familiar historic presentation is not yellow alone. The red-and-yellow pairing became especially prominent in roadside signs and restaurant design during the chain’s postwar expansion.
McDonald’s has used other palettes in modern restaurants and campaigns, including more restrained designs with dark green or brown. Those variations do not change the classic answer: the traditional Golden Arches identity is yellow and red.