Jim Schindler transformed McDonald's two separate golden arches into the M-shaped logo in 1962.
The original arches were architectural elements placed at opposite ends of McDonald's restaurant buildings. Their silhouette was already associated with the chain, but the company needed a graphic mark that could work on signs, packaging, advertising, and other materials.
Schindler combined the two arches into a single stylized form resembling the letter M. This change turned a building feature into a flexible corporate identity and helped standardize McDonald's visual branding across locations.
The logo is often credited generally to the golden arches themselves, which can obscure the distinction between the architects and the graphic designer. Stanley Meston designed the original restaurant arches; Schindler created the unified emblem that became the recognizable McDonald's mark.