Klarna is the name of a Swedish fintech company, which was established in 2005. The start-up is specialized in providing payment solutions for online shopping. Today, Klarna is the most popular “buy now, pay later” platform, which has thousands of partners all over the globe.
Klarna is an e-commerce payment solutions platform for merchants and buyers. Klarna provides financial services that allow consumers to make purchases from retailers without having to pay anything at the time of purchase.
The company has developed a payment model in which customers provide only basic information about themselves to receive an opportunity for installment payments, and the risks are assessed by the company’s technology. Klarna does not charge customers any interest but earns commissions from merchants.
A buyer can pay for the item within 30 days. Another option is to pay every two weeks a quarter of the amount. Klarna transfers the money to the seller immediately and then agrees with the buyer on how he will repay the debt — in cash, by bank transfer, or by card. There is also an installment plan of up to 36 months, but then the buyer will be charged almost 20% per annum. Klarna earns mainly on commissions from sellers. Depending on the country and the type of installment plan chosen by the buyer, the rates may vary.
Today Klarna has nearly five thousand retailers in the United States and more than 200 thousand retailers worldwide who partner with a new retailer every 8 minutes. And more than 60 thousand stores across the globe use Klarna in-store points of sale.
What is Klarna?
Klarna is a Swedish fintech company, which was established in 2005, and is often referred to as “The most expensive European start-up”. The company provides online financial services via its payment system, which allows people to shop and pay in installments.
As for the visual identity, Klarna has had two logos designed for its since the foundation of the company. The first one looked very welcoming and fresh, with minimalistic graphical elements inscribed into the logotype, while the second one is very laconic and strict, with modern and heavy shapes.
The initial Klarna badge, used by the company until 2017, was set in solid blue, with the title case sans-serif logotype as the main element of the composition. The capital “K” was stylized, with its two diagonal bars drawn as two petals and placed at a small distance from the straight vertical line, which made the whole inscription look lighter and friendlier.
The redesign of 2017 has changed the design concept of the Klarna visual identity, switching the color palette from blue to black, and removing all the graphical elements. The new title-case logotype is set in a more modern and full-shaped sans-serif font, with bold lines and straight cuts of the ends, and is accompanied by a black solid dot at the end of the wordmark.
The bold and modern sans-serif lettering from the primary Klarna badge is set in a cool custom typeface with the characters set in thick smooth lines with straight cuts. The type was designed exclusively for the Swedish company, but has some resemblance to such fonts as Quicksans Accurate Fill and Antown Bold, with the capital “K” stylized, having its diagonal bars slightly arched, as a connection to the original Klarna logo.
As for the color palette of the Klarna visual identity, it is set in black and white, which looks professional and powerful, evoking a sense of stability and reliability, which is more than important for a service, connected to payments.