Who designed the Golden Arches logo used by McDonald’s beginning in 1962?

Jim Schindler designed the Golden Arches logo used by McDonald’s beginning in 1962.

Schindler was an engineer and construction executive at McDonald’s who combined the two architectural arches from the restaurant buildings into a stylized “M.” The design replaced earlier uses of the arches as separate roadside and building features.

The arches themselves originated in restaurant architecture during the 1950s. Architect Stanley Clark Meston designed the distinctive yellow arches for McDonald’s restaurants, but Schindler created the recognizable two-arch corporate symbol used in branding.

A common mix-up is crediting Meston with the logo itself. Meston designed the building arches; Schindler transformed them into the enduring logo. The Golden Arches later became one of the world’s most recognizable commercial symbols.