Jim Schindler designed McDonald’s first widely used corporate logo featuring the Golden Arches in 1962.
Schindler combined the two architectural arches used on many McDonald’s restaurant buildings into a stylized “M.” The resulting logo transformed an architectural feature into a corporate symbol that could work on signs, packaging, advertisements, and other brand materials.
The logo is sometimes incorrectly credited to Ray Kroc or architect Stanley Meston. Meston designed the distinctive 1950s restaurant architecture, while Kroc expanded the company’s franchise system. Schindler’s 1962 design was the key step that turned the arches into the familiar Golden Arches emblem.