Who created the McDonald’s restaurant building design with its famous arches?

Stanley Clark Meston created the McDonald’s restaurant building design associated with the famous arches.

Meston was an architect who worked with the McDonald brothers on the design of their restaurants. His concept used large yellow arches as prominent roadside architectural features, helping restaurants attract motorists and establish a consistent visual identity.

The arches originally functioned as part of the building rather than as a standalone corporate logo. In 1962, McDonald’s adapted the idea into a unified graphic mark, commonly associated with designer Jim Schindler.

This history explains why the architectural designer and logo designer are different answers. Meston shaped the physical restaurant, while Schindler converted the arches into the familiar logo.