Jim Schindler created McDonald's Golden Arches logo by combining the two architectural arches into a stylized “M” in 1962.
The original arches were separate structures attached to early McDonald's restaurants. Schindler adapted their forms into a unified emblem, turning a building feature into a corporate mark that could appear on signs, packaging, advertisements, and other materials.
This change helped McDonald's develop a consistent visual identity as the chain expanded. The logo's simplicity made it easy to recognize at a distance and easy to reproduce in different sizes and media.
The logo designer is often confused with Stanley Clark Meston, the architect associated with the earlier restaurant arches. Meston designed the physical arches; Schindler transformed them into the familiar logo.