McDonald's Golden Arches were building architecture that became world's most famous logo

In 1953, Richard McDonald designed the first franchised McDonald's restaurant in Phoenix, Arizona. He wanted a building that was visible from the road and easy to identify. He added two large yellow arches on the sides of the building — one on each side, forming a giant 'M' shape when viewed from an angle. The arches were architectural elements, not a logo. They were designed to catch the eye of passing drivers.

The arches were purely functional architecture. They drew attention to the building and guided customers to the walk-up window. There was no marketing department, no brand strategy, no focus group. Richard McDonald was a hamburger stand operator who wanted his restaurant to stand out. The arches were a construction decision, not a branding decision.

When Ray Kroc bought McDonald's in 1961, the arches were already a fixture of the restaurant design. In 1962, McDonald's decided to use the arches as a logo — a stylized version of the two arches merged into a single golden 'M.' The logo was designed by an architect named Jim Schindler, who modified the original arch design to create the iconic letterform. The simplest logo in history was a building that had been standing for nine years.

Today, the Golden Arches are one of the most recognized symbols in the world, alongside the Coca-Cola script and the Nike swoosh. McDonald's serves 69 million customers daily in over 100 countries. A pair of yellow arches that were designed to catch the attention of drivers in Phoenix became the most valuable restaurant logo in history.