Who designed the first McDonald’s restaurant sign featuring the Golden Arches?

George Dexter designed the first McDonald’s restaurant sign featuring the Golden Arches.

The original arches were architectural elements of McDonald’s buildings, developed during the company’s early drive-in era. Dexter created the neon sign used to emphasize those arches and make the restaurants visible from the roadside, where motorists had to recognize the brand quickly.

The architectural arches themselves are commonly associated with architect Stanley Meston, who designed the Speedee Service System restaurant building used by the McDonald brothers. That is a different role from designing the sign.

The distinction matters because the later corporate logo was derived from the physical arches but was not simply the original building sign. Over time, the arches moved from roadside architecture into a worldwide trademark.