Who designed the joined Golden Arches logo that McDonald's adopted in 1962?

Jim Schindler designed the joined Golden Arches logo that McDonald's adopted in 1962.

The logo transformed two architectural arches into a single, instantly recognizable “M.” McDonald's restaurants had used separate golden arches as building features since the 1950s, but Schindler's design turned them into a unified corporate symbol.

The arches were not originally intended to form a letter. Their association with the restaurant's buildings gradually became so strong that combining them created a compact brand mark usable on signs, packaging, advertising, and company materials.

A common mix-up is crediting Ray Kroc or the McDonald brothers with the logo itself. They were central to the company's history, but Schindler is credited with the 1962 joined-mark design. The logo later appeared with different wordmarks, colors, and layouts while retaining the arches.