Who designed McDonald’s 1962 logo, in which the arches were joined to form an “M”?

Jim Schindler designed McDonald’s 1962 logo, joining the two architectural arches into a recognizable “M.” His work transformed restaurant architecture into a compact corporate symbol that could appear on signs, packaging, and advertising.

The arches had originally been physical features of McDonald’s restaurant buildings. Schindler’s design combined the two separate forms, making the letter-like shape more immediately usable as a graphic identity. This helped the arches become more than an architectural decoration.

The logo’s development followed earlier work by architect Stanley Meston, whose restaurant designs used the arches in the 1950s. Ray Kroc was central to the company’s expansion but was not the designer of the joined-arches mark.

McDonald’s later adjusted the logo’s colors, lettering, and presentation, but the golden double-arch structure remained its defining visual foundation. The 1962 design is therefore a key step between roadside architecture and modern global branding.