Who created the interlocking Golden Arches logo used by McDonald's?

Jim Schindler created the interlocking Golden Arches logo used by McDonald's.

The logo developed from the large yellow arches that architect Stanley Clark Meston designed for McDonald's restaurant buildings. Those original arches stood separately on either side of the building. Schindler's contribution was to combine the forms into an interlocking M, converting an architectural feature into a compact graphic mark.

The simplified emblem was introduced in 1962 and became much easier to reproduce on signs, packaging, uniforms, and advertising. It also worked without a full picture of a restaurant, which was important as McDonald's expanded into new markets and standardized its visual identity.

Meston and Schindler are therefore associated with different stages of the same branding story. Meston designed the original roadside arches; Schindler created the interlocking logo form. Ray Kroc expanded the company but was not the designer of this symbol.