Talking about McDonald’s delicious Big Mac and more:
Whenever you talk about McDonald’s the foremost thing that pops into your head is their succulent Big Mac burgers which have acquired fame (and fortune!) across the globe. Its unique taste and wide variety of delicious fast food have earned it the status of one of the largest fast food restaurants in the world.
McDonald’s started out as a small enterprise in San Bernardino, California as a joint venture by Richard and Maurice McDonald. In 1958 Ray Kroc, a multi-mixer salesman visited the McDonald brothers in an attempt to make a few more sales. It was then that he learnt about their operation and their need for a nationwide franchising agent. Kroc wasted no time in taking up that position and opened up the first McDonald’s branch on April 15, 1955. 10 years down the road the restaurant had more than 700 franchises in the U.S. It also went public in 1965 selling its first shares at 22.50$ per share. In 1966, the restaurant launched its first nationwide commercial starring their popular mascot, ‘Ronald McDonald’. In 1967, it opened its first international restaurants in Canada and Puerto Rico and in 1968 the famous Big Mac was first introduced on the McDonald’s menu.
Another famous meal, ‘The Happy Meal’ was introduced in 1979 featuring a circus wagon theme. By that time, Ray Kroc had taken the once small drive-thru eatery all over the world with over 7900 restaurants by 1984. Sadly Mr. Kroc died in the same year. In 1996, the restaurant’s official website, www.mcdonalds.com was launched.
In 2006, Snack Wraps were added to the U.S. menu and soon found their way onto the international restaurants. By 2011, McDonald’s was operating in 119 countries making it the largest fast food retailer on the planet!
Everything American – McDonalds:
Whether in debates or talk shows, whenever I hear someone talk about Americanization or U.S. culture influencing other countries, pictures of the famous McDonald’s logo pop up on the TV screens or on our placards. While the restaurant is now international and has altered its menu according to local needs, it will always remind us of the ‘American life’. It was probably what the logo artist, Jim Schindler had in mind when he made the logo in 1962 – he wanted to create something that would preserve McDonald’s roots as it expanded nationwide and internationally but still give it the flexibility to blend in with its surroundings.
The idea for the logo was provided by the McDonald brothers who had a golden arch on either side of their original hamburger restaurant back in San Bernardino. Taking inspiration from those two arches, the famous ‘M’ was made in the distinct and attractive typeface that we see today. The name of the restaurant was added to the logo in 1968 but in present times you can also see their famous slogan, ‘I’m loving it!’ on the logo or no writing at all.
What the McDonald’s Logo Represents:
Initially, the ‘M’ in the logo was meant to represent the name of the restaurant but as McDonald’s has grown over the years, so has the representations of its logo. As stated before, the logo still reminds everyone of the American roots of the restaurant and also various terms like ‘Americanization’.
However, the logo also shows a strong sense of corporate identity which has taken McDonald’s years to build and the thousands of franchises that it has acquired worldwide are a testament to its sense of work ethic as well as corporate identity.
The design of the logo is not only attractive but is not too professional which makes it seem very friendly and appealing to the masses. It is something which we are accustomed to in this present era and this has been made possible by the casual and evergreen design that the logo has.
The color combination of red and golden are also a great touch to it as they make the logo very bright and ‘people-friendly’. Both colors exude a strong sense of confidence and power while remaining bright enough to have a completely different side that shows friendliness and promotes the brand to the people.
The McDonald’s family:
Most of us are familiar with the McDonald’s fun loving clown mascot, Ronald McDonald and his pals that have become the identity of the restaurant and a great treat for children who visit the restaurant and excitedly take pictures with their favorite characters.
However, I was surprised to learn that McDonalds actually had another mascot when it first opened, called ‘Speedee’. While the ‘hamburger man’ did not last on the scenes for long, the jolly character was part of the restaurant’s life (and also often formed its logo) till his successor came on the scenes in 1961.
The rest of the family which included Hamburglar, Grimace, Mayor McCheese, Captain Crook and the Big Mac were introduced in 1971 and were also put on happy meal toys along with various advertisements.
