Jim Schindler redesigned McDonald’s Golden Arches into the interlocking logo used by the company in the early 1960s.
The arches originally began as architectural features on McDonald’s restaurant buildings, where they were intended to make the roadside locations more visible. In 1962, Schindler combined the two arches into a stylized “M,” creating the emblem that became central to McDonald’s corporate identity.
This logo history is often mixed up with the earlier architectural work of Stanley Meston, who designed the restaurant buildings and their prominent arches. Meston’s contribution concerned the structures; Schindler’s contribution was the graphic combination of the arches into a recognizable symbol.
The interlocking form gave McDonald’s a simple mark that could work on signs, packaging, advertisements, and other branded materials. Although the logo has appeared in different color treatments and layouts over time, the basic Golden Arches concept has remained one of the world’s most recognizable commercial symbols.