Their burgers may not be to everyone’s taste – but McDonalds’ ‘golden arches’ logo is the world’s most memorable, according to a new survey.
The simple symbol was created by designer Jim Schindler in 1962 and has remained largely unchanged over the last 45 years.
It beat Nike’s ‘swoosh’ tick and Mercedes’ three-pronged ‘badge’ in a poll of 2,000 Brits conducted by onepoll.com to find the world’s most memorable brand image in the wake London Olympics logo fiasco.
And while British Olympic chiefs splashed out a staggering £400,000 on the flashy design – which has reportedly triggered epileptic fits – Nike paid the equivalent of just £15 in 1971 to graphics student Carolyn Davidson for their iconic tick.
The Mercedes-Benz ‘badge’, first seen on a bonnet in 1909, was voted the third most memorable logo – ahead of rival car firm VW – and the Yellow Pages ‘walking fingers’.
HMV’s legendary image of Nipper the dog listening to His Master’s Voice was sixth, followed by the Coca-Cola signature, movie studio MGM’s lion, Apple computers’ apple and Guinness’s harp.
Onepoll.com spokesman John Sewell said: “The results of our survey demonstrate what the Olympic bosses have overlooked – it’s simple logos that stay in the memory.
“Most people could quickly make a reasonable attempt at drawing the McDonalds or the Nike logo – but wouldn’t know where to start with the London 2012 design.”
The 20 most memorable logos, according to the survey, are:
1.McDonalds
2.Nike
3.Mercedes
4.VW
5.Yellow Pages
6.HMV
7.Coca-Cola
8.MGM
9.Apple
10.Guinness
11.BMW
12.Michelin
13.Shell
14.Levis
15.Chanel
16.Ralph Lauren Polo
17.Adidas
18.Paramount
19.Boots
20.Puma