Architect Stanley Meston designed the two yellow arches that inspired McDonald’s early restaurant architecture.
Meston worked with McDonald’s brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald on the restaurant design used at their San Bernardino operation and later locations. The arches were conceived as prominent roadside features that made the building recognizable to passing motorists.
The arches began as physical architectural elements rather than the single symbol commonly associated with the brand today. Their strong shape and bright color helped turn restaurant architecture into advertising, a particularly useful strategy for a drive-in and roadside business.
Jim Schindler is associated with a later redesign that simplified the arches into the familiar logo form. That distinction matters: Meston designed the early architectural arches, while Schindler’s work concerned the later graphic treatment.