Jim Schindler created the stylized Golden Arches “M” used as McDonald's logo beginning in 1962.
Schindler worked for McDonald's and developed a logo by joining the two architectural arches used on many of the chain's restaurants. The resulting design turned a three-dimensional building feature into a simple, reproducible graphic suitable for signs, packaging, advertisements, and corporate materials.
The logo's shape is often described as an “M” because it resembles the first letter of McDonald's. Its bright yellow color and red background helped it stand out visually, especially on roadside signs during the chain's rapid expansion in the 1960s.
Stanley Meston deserves credit for designing the original restaurant arches in 1952, so the two names are easy to confuse. Meston created the architectural inspiration; Schindler converted that inspiration into the iconic logo form.