Who designed the Golden Arches for McDonald’s first franchised restaurant in Phoenix?

Stanley Meston designed the Golden Arches for McDonald’s first franchised restaurant in Phoenix.

Meston was an architect who worked with McDonald’s founders Richard and Maurice McDonald on the restaurant’s distinctive roadside appearance. The brothers wanted a building that could be recognized quickly by passing motorists, so the design used large yellow arches at each side of the building.

The arches were originally architectural features, not simply a flat logo. Their bright color and repeated curved form made them highly visible from the road. This helped turn the restaurant building itself into an important part of McDonald’s early brand identity.

McDonald’s later simplified the arches into the familiar golden “M” symbol. A common mix-up is crediting Ray Kroc with designing the arches; Kroc expanded the company, but Meston created the original architectural design. The Phoenix restaurant opened in 1953 and is often identified as the first franchised McDonald’s location.