McCafe
The coffee-and-bakery sub-brand, since 1993; McDonald's identity in the coffee category.
Image Source: 8th – stock.adobe.com
McDonald's
Founded in San Bernardino in 1940 by Richard and Maurice McDonald, and incorporated as McDonald's Corporation in 1955 by Ray Kroc, McDonald's is the largest fast-food restaurant company in the world by revenue, operating more than 40,000 restaurants in over 100 countries under a master brand built around the Golden Arches.
- Founded
- 1940
- Industry
- Foodservice · Quick-Service Restaurant
- Headquarters
- USA
- Ownership
- Public company
Key Facts
Current claim
“i'm lovin' it”
Brand logo & color
#ffc72c
Values
Serve • Inclusion • Integrity • Community • Family
McDonald's Purpose Website, McDonald's – our Mission and values
Purpose
At McDonald's, when we say, 'billions served,' we're not just talking about burgers. We're talking about serving our communities, customers, crew, farmers, franchisees and suppliers.
McDonald's Purpose Website, McDonald's – our Mission and values
Vision
What matters to our customers, matters to McDonald’s, so our vision for the future centers around five core values: Community, Inclusion, Family, Service and Integrity.
McDonald's Purpose Website, McDonald's – Who we are
Mission
Our mission is to make delicious feel-good moments easy for everyone.
McDonald's Purpose Website, McDonald's – our Mission and values-
-
Happy Meal
The children's-meal brand, since 1979; a product-brand with its own identity and marketing.
-
McDelivery
The delivery-service brand; McDonald's own identity for at-home ordering.
Brand Chronology
McCafé refreshes its visual identity for a broader drinks portfolio (2026)
McCafé refreshes its visual identity for a broader drinks portfolio
2026
McDonald's refreshes the McCafé sub-brand with Turner Duckworth as the chain extends its drinks menu beyond coffee.
Read Article →
Happy new year to you, too (2026)
Happy new year to you, too
2026
McDonald's UK opens 2026 with a Leo Burnett OOH platform that meets hungover customers at their doorsteps with breakfast delivery.
Read Article →
McDonald's raises the arches into eyebrows (2023)
McDonald's raises the arches into eyebrows
2023
Leo Burnett UK and Edgar Wright launch Raise Your Arches in January 2023, a McDonald's film without food, logo or restaurant.
Read Article →
Famous orders and the Travis Scott meal (2020)
Famous orders and the Travis Scott meal
2020
Wieden+Kennedy turned individual celebrity meal orders into a platform that resets McDonald's relationship with culture.
Read Article →
Chris Kempczinski becomes CEO, succeeding Steve Easterbrook (2019)
Chris Kempczinski
becomes CEO, succeeding Steve Easterbrook
McDonald's adopts the Speedee custom typeface (2018)
McDonald's adopts the Speedee custom typeface
2018
In 2018, Turner Duckworth and Dalton Maag introduced Speedee, a custom, proprietary McDonald's typeface drawn from the curve of the golden arches.
Read Article →
Cossette turns the arches into directional arrows (2018)
Cossette turns the arches into directional arrows
2018
Cossette Toronto cropped McDonald's golden arches into directional arrows for the 2018 Follow the Arches outdoor platform.
Read Article →
The Founder retells McDonald's origin on screen (2017)
The Founder retells McDonald's origin on screen
2017
John Lee Hancock's The Founder, released January 2017 with Michael Keaton as Ray Kroc, dramatised McDonald's founding for cinema audiences.
Read Article →
Steve Easterbrook becomes CEO (2015)
Steve Easterbrook
becomes CEO
McDonald's sets its arches on green across Europe (2009)
McDonald's sets its arches on green across Europe
2009
McDonald's swaps red for forest green behind the Golden Arches across Europe, signalling environmental responsibility.
Read Article →
Logo Redesign (2006)
Logo Redesign
2006
On September 28, 2006, McDonald’s launched its “Forever Young” redesign campaign and updated its logo. The brand kept the iconic yellow “M” arches but simplified the design with thinner, softer lines and removed extra text and background elements.
The company also refreshed its typography, using Akzidenz Grotesk Bold from 2006 to 2014 before switching to Lovin’ Sans, which later appeared across restaurant interiors, signage, and advertising.
i'm lovin' it (2003)
i'm lovin' it
2003
Heye & Partner Unterhaching delivered McDonald's first global platform claim, launched in Germany on 2 September 2003 and rolled out to more than 100 countries.
Read Article →
Logo Redesign (2003)
Logo Redesign
2003
In 2003, McDonald’s launched its global “I’m Lovin’ It” campaign and introduced an updated version of the Golden Arches, developed by the German agency Heye & Partner.
The arches retained their iconic yellow color and shape but became thicker and more prominent. The logo was simplified to the arches alone, without additional backgrounds or frames. As part of the rebrand, Neue Helvetica 75 Bold was adopted across advertising and brand communications.
Did somebody say McDonald's reframes the brand (1997)
Did somebody say McDonald's reframes the brand
1997
DDB Needham gave McDonald's Did Somebody Say McDonald's in 1997, a hook built on the brand name that ran for three years.
Read Article →
McDonald's Showdown pits Jordan against Bird (1993)
McDonald's Showdown pits Jordan against Bird
1993
McDonald's celebrated the Big Mac's 25th anniversary at Super Bowl XXVII with Jordan and Bird trading impossible shots in The Showdown.
Read Article →
Logo Redesign (1993)
Logo Redesign
1993
In the mid-1990s, McDonald’s modernized its logo by removing the wordmark and adding a shadow to the Golden Arches. The symbol retained its familiar “M” shape but gained a three-dimensional appearance.
First introduced on some products in the early 1990s, the shadowed arches became more widely used after the 1995 packaging redesign. This version coexisted with the 1982 logo for nearly a decade and remained in use in some markets until 2010.
You deserve a break today (1971)
You deserve a break today
1971
Needham, Harper & Steers wrote McDonald's first emotional platform in 1971, shifting positioning from product to occasion.
Read Article →
Logo Redesign (1968)
Logo Redesign
1968
In 1968, McDonald’s introduced a new logo concept by Paul Schrage that combined the Golden Arches with the brand name in a single design.
The right side of the arches was opened to accommodate the “McDonald’s” wordmark, which ran horizontally through the lower portion of the symbol. The logo used a bold sans-serif typeface, with the “M” and “D” slightly larger than the other letters, and a yellow-and-black color scheme.
This version became one of McDonald’s most recognizable identities, appearing on packaging, advertising, and restaurant signage for decades. It remained on many restaurant facades until 2006 and is now regarded as a classic symbol of the brand’s history.
Ronald McDonald, born in a Washington franchise (1963)
Ronald McDonald, born in a Washington franchise
1963
Ronald McDonald debuted in three local TV ads for Oscar Goldstein's Washington D.C. franchise in late 1963, played by Willard Scott.
Read Article →
The golden arches become a logo (1962)
The golden arches become a logo
1962
Jim Schindler translated the architectural roof element of the 1953 drive-in into the single yellow M that defines McDonald's.
Read Article →
Logo Redesign (1961)
Logo Redesign
1961
On September 13, 1961, McDonald’s registered a new logo under the leadership of Ray Kroc. Designed by Jim Schindler, the mark introduced the iconic Golden Arches that would become synonymous with the brand.
The logo featured two connected yellow arches forming the letter “M,” outlined in red and crossed by a diagonal yellow stripe. The entire symbol was enclosed within a light-blue circular frame. Beneath it appeared the McDonald’s name in a bold, rounded sans-serif typeface.
First used at a restaurant in Phoenix, the design quickly spread throughout the chain. Its distinctive diagonal crossing and interlaced arches set it apart from later versions. Although replaced in 1968, this original Golden Arches logo remains preserved at the historic McDonald’s restaurant in Downey and is remembered as the symbol that accompanied the brand’s early international expansion.
Ray Kroc buys out the McDonald brothers (1961)
Ray Kroc
buys out the McDonald brothers
Logo Design (1953)
Logo Design
1953
By 1953, the McDonald brothers simplified the restaurant’s name to McDonald’s, reflecting a new stage in the business’s development. The updated logo, later adopted officially when the corporation was incorporated in 1955, featured a more relaxed and approachable design.
Although replaced in 1961, the logo continued to appear in some advertising materials through the late 1960s. It later reappeared on commemorative packaging in Japan and at the company’s headquarters in Chicago, serving as a tribute to McDonald’s early history and its transition from a local family business to a global brand.
Logo Design (1948)
Logo Design
1948
By the end of 1948, McDonald’s had shifted its focus from barbecue to hamburgers, leading to a new name: McDonald’s Famous Hamburgers. The updated sign reflected this strategic change and was designed to attract a growing mass-market audience. This sign marked the beginning of McDonald’s transformation into a modern fast-food business.
Founded
1940Richard and Maurice McDonald opened their San Bernardino restaurant in 1940; the Speedee Service System of 1948 set the template Ray Kroc franchised from 1955.
