Jim Schindler designed McDonald’s 1962 Golden Arches logo, the first version combining the arches with a diagonal line.
The logo developed from the architectural arches used on McDonald’s early restaurant buildings. Rather than simply reproducing the building design, Schindler combined the two arches into a recognizable graphic mark. This helped turn an architectural feature into a corporate identity that could work on signs, packaging, advertisements, and uniforms.
A common mix-up is crediting the building architect, Stanley Clark Meston, with designing the later logo. Meston designed the restaurant buildings that inspired the arches, while Schindler created the 1962 graphic treatment. The familiar standalone yellow “M” evolved from this branding system in later decades.