Who designed the modern overlapping Golden Arches symbol for McDonald's in 1962?

Jim Schindler designed McDonald's modern overlapping Golden Arches symbol in 1962.

Before Schindler's redesign, McDonald's restaurants used physical yellow arches incorporated into their architecture. Schindler, an engineer and design consultant associated with the company, combined the two arches into a single stylized “M.” The result transformed a building feature into a portable corporate logo.

The overlapping form was especially useful because it worked at different sizes and on many surfaces. It could identify roadside signs, restaurant façades, wrappers, advertisements, and later digital material without requiring a detailed illustration. The mark also retained a visual connection to the restaurant buildings that had first made the arches noticeable.

People sometimes credit Ray Kroc with designing the arches because he was the executive who drove McDonald's expansion. Kroc was central to the company's growth, but the 1962 logo design is credited to Jim Schindler. Stanley Meston, meanwhile, is associated with the design of the early McDonald's restaurant building in San Bernardino.