More than sixty million customers stop by McDonald’s restaurants worldwide every single day, making it the biggest restaurant chain in the world. It operates more than 35,000 eateries throughout more than 110 nations.
McDonalds slogan
- i’m lovin’ it.
- Food, Folks and Fun.
- Good time, Great taste.
- We love to see you smile.
- You deserve a break today.
- What you want is what you get.
- Have you had your break today?
- Did somebody say McDonald’s?
- There’s a little McDonald’s, in everyone.
The significance and the past
Patrick McDonald opened the family’s first restaurant, known as “The Airdome,” in 1937, marking the beginning of what would become the most successful and well-known chain of fast-food restaurants in the world. After another three years, his sons decided to rebrand it as “McDonald’s Famous Barbecue.”
Only in 1953 did the firm begin using its present name, and it wasn’t until the 1960s that the distinctive Golden Arches logo was first conceived of as a design concept. Since that point in time, the visual identity of the legendary fast-food chain has remained relatively unchanged, and as of today, it has evolved into one of the most shining instances of flawless branding in the annals of contemporary history.
What exactly is McDonald’s, then?
One of the restaurant chains that serves fast food that has the title of “world’s most popular” is McDonald’s. The firm was founded in 1940, and as of now, it has around 40,000 locations throughout the world (although the vast majority of McDonald’s restaurants are franchisees). Burgers make up the bulk of the items offered at the chain’s restaurant.
1940 – 1948
The very first version of the restaurant’s logo was a simple wordmark in black colour that was arranged in three layers and designed using three distinct artistic approaches.
The word “McDonald’s” was written in the top portion of the logo in an italicised serif font, which is a font style that is both beautiful and historic. The word “Famous” was written in a sans-serif font, it was centred, and it had two parallel horizontal lines coming out of it to the right and left. All of the letters in the word were capitalised. The word “Barbecue” is written in a rigorous and strong serif font and is placed on the bottom level of the logo, which is the major portion of the design. This inscription is the most prominent and eye-catching component of the whole logo.
1948 – 1953
Hamburgers, which were becoming more well-liked in the United States, eventually took the place of the barbecuing tradition. In 1948, the name of the restaurant was changed, and a new logo was developed for the establishment. It was currently made up of a white “MacDonald’s Famous Hamburgers” nameplate on a black backdrop, and it included a tiny white picture of the Chef, who was cheerful and smiling. The inscription was set in a contemporary sans-serif font and carried out in a single manner throughout its execution. This logo was only used for a period of five years.
1953 – 1968
The restaurant chain ultimately decided to go by the name McDonald’s, and here is the point when everything starts. Although the logo was not yet anything like what we all recognise it to be now, the colour red began to make an appearance in the colour palette, indicating that the brand was moving in the right way.
The unique sans-serif wordmark with the smooth italicization in red was rendered using a font with strong, sleek lines and no serifs. The logo was very distinctive and easily distinguishable, and it remained in use by the firm for a period of 15 years.
1961 – 1968
In 1961, Stanley Meston designed the symbol that is now recognised everywhere in the globe. The architecture of the initial company’s restaurants, notably the restaurants’ roofs, served as the basis for the design of the famous Golden Arches emblem. This is the reason why the original form of the logo had a diagonal line flowing through the arches.
The wordmark, also in red, was put below the symbol that is yellow with a thin edge that is also red. The new inscription was created using a sans-serif font that is powerful and uncomplicated, with the primary emphasis being placed on the insignia.
1968 – Today
In 1968, a simpler version of the logo was introduced. After the removal of the diagonal line and the shortening of the inner ends of the two arches, the result was an appearance that was more reminiscent of the letter “M.” Regarding the colour scheme, it was changed such that the symbol was yellow and the wordmark, which was superimposed over the letter “M” in the bottom half of the design, was black.
Additionally, the typography of the nameplate had some minor modifications, which resulted in the letters seeming to be more robust and distinct.
This logo is still in use today on some of the company’s goods as well as some of its restaurants located all over the world.
1975 – Today
1975 was the year that saw the introduction of the updated graphic identity. The symbol that included the wordmark was positioned inside a red rectangle that had rounded corners. It was decided to change the writing from black to white, which resulted in a nicer and more inviting appearance.
This emblem, which is still used by the firm despite being readily identifiable in every region of the world and conveying feelings of excitement, happiness, and dedication, is perhaps the version of any of the fast-food legend logos that is the most easily known.
1993 – 2010
The version that was released in 1993 featured a plain yellow “M” with a black shadow. There was no lettering or framing; it was just a simple emblem. At first, this version was only used in the United States; however, it was eventually adopted on a global scale and remained in use by the company for almost twenty years.
2003 – Today
When another version of the logo was produced in the beginning of the 2000s, the same minimalist style that had been used before was used. The yellow “M” was positioned inside of the red square, which had rounded corners on all four sides.
In the beginning, not much use was made of it; but, in 2018, it underwent some minor adjustments, and the company began making substantial use of it. In addition to the other two variations.
2006 – Today
The brand first debuted with the flat yellow style in the year 2006. It is the version with the fewest features among all of the ones available, yet the corporation nevertheless uses it extensively for both the local and the foreign markets. The letter “M,” which is formed of two arches and is rendered in yellow and put on white, is clean and tidy. Absolutely nothing, not even an outline or letters. It has a contemporary and fashionable appearance, which echoes the history of the firm and causes people all around the world to smile and remember of joyful times in their lives.
2018 – Today
The design for 2018 has the same yellow insignia that they have had for a considerable amount of time, but this time it is enclosed inside a red square that has rounded sides.
Font
The current McDonald’s logo uses a modified sans-serif typeface for the primary text component. You won’t find a single letter with a capital letter; even the letter “I” is written in lower case.
Color
Black and yellow/red are the two colour configurations that are available for the insignia. The yellow/red one is utilised anytime it is feasible to have a colourful representation, while the black one is used in visual circumstances when only black and white are visible.
