Bringing elegance to the everyday: designing Qonto’s new cards

At Qonto, our brand design team is dedicated to elevating technique, creativity, and craftsmanship to the highest standards of excellence. We deep-dive into the strategic elements of design to evoke emotion and create the most considered experiences for our users.

And when it comes to the Qonto product, payment cards are our most tangible item. Customers can hold them between their fingers; they’re physically with them on a daily basis, along with their phone, house keys, and maybe their car keys (more on this topic later — the automotive industry is very inspiring to the Qonto culture!).

Our cards are also mission-critical in powering our users’ businesses. They allow them to make the transactions they need, whether in-store, online, or through ATM cash withdrawals.

So, when we decided to revamp our payment card line-up, there were few other projects that would have brought us closer to our users. For me, as a designer, it was among the most exciting work I could have imagined.

Where did we begin?

We started by defining the positioning for each of the three cards Qonto offers:

• The One Card for our entry-level users, free of charge when you create an account.
• The Plus Card for our mid-range users, offering premium features such as twice the withdrawal and payment limits of the One Card, and advanced insurance coverage.
• The metal X Card for our top-tier user, offering everything from unlimited cash withdrawals to a personal concierge service and airport lounge access.

This would allow us to later meticulously craft every element of their three distinctive enterprise personas, resulting in cutting-edge visuals, immersive experiences, and a specific art direction for each.

A new card line-up: turning material, machines, and positioning challenges into improvement opportunities

100% recycled plastic card

Following our commitment to reduce carbon footprint, and following a survey where 70% of our clients expressed interest in a more eco-friendly option, we changed the material of our One and Plus Cards from traditional PVC to 100% recycled PVC.

However, it wasn’t all plain sailing. The recycled PVC presented the challenge of returning yellowish tones which caused color inconsistencies, especially with our white One Card.

But behind each challenge lies a solution. To find it in this instance, we collaborated closely with our card production factory, rethinking the card layering process. Through innovative techniques and unique material combinations, we ensured a consistent color across the recycled PVC cards. This streamlined approach allowed us to meet our sustainability goals, while maintaining stringent quality standards for our cards.

Plus Card positioning

In our card line-up, the distinction between the One Card, designed for day-to-day needs, and the Plus Card, with more advanced features and established businesses, was unclear. The Plus Card was often perceived as ‘the card in the middle’, lacking the premium image it deserved.

To address this, we drew inspiration from the automotive industry’s customization model, and introduced personalized options for the Plus Card. The aim? To enhance the user-product relationship by adapting the experience to individual desires and needs.

In the automotive industry, those buying high-end cars can choose various options such as interior finish, type of wood for trim, rim customization, and even opt for an electric vehicle rather than a combustion model.

Discussions were held with our card supplier, to offer — on top of color customization (Black, Silver, or Light purple) — the choice of an embossed or printed design of the user’s name, company name, and PIN number. This option, combining practicality and aesthetics, is currently rare on the market. It’s ‘your card, your way’.

Minimalist layout

In the card production factory, machine tolerances, operating within a margin of error of ± 0.5 mm, introduced an uncontrollable variable. This required careful consideration in the design of the layout and the presentation of customers’ information. To address this challenge, we optimized the customer’s data layout, incorporating a more intuitive hierarchy by adjusting font, weight, and spacing. Through this process, we not only adapted to the constraint, but transformed it into an opportunity for improvement in the overall design, optimizing the user experience, regardless of the machine tolerance.

My frequent visits to our factories in Vitré and Dijon, coupled with in-depth testing and sample production, transcended the purely professional realm. Each visit became a sensory journey of discovery, etched in my memory. From the production line to the scent of inks, this immersion went beyond the quest for solutions, forging an authentic connection with the final product and deepening my understanding of how customers would interact with the cards.

Stepping up the buying experience: cutting-edge assets and interactive flow

In collaboration with 3D artists, we selected optimal angles, adjusted lighting, and refined texture rendering that highlighted the most appealing card details. The goal was to ensure that the visuals accurately represented the user’s prospective purchase and enhanced the touch sensation for greater authenticity.

The introduction of two new colors and the embossing option for the Plus Card range meant a revamp of our card ordering flow, every step of which is designed to be intuitive and immersive.

When the user explores the different card types, micro-interactions are integrated giving the impression that their navigation is anticipated, while giving them the control and the right balance of key information.

For instance, by hovering on the category, the cards unfold like an invitation, creating a fluid, instantaneous journey. Later on in the flow, the embossing option in the carousel is visualizable with a single click, offering fast, intuitive personalization and helping the user to imagine themself with their final product.

Creating stand-out: designing a distinct and distinctive universe for each collection

If we again take the automotive industry as an example (I told you that this reference would pop up several times!), each brand offers different cars. There are the the classic urban-lifestyle sedans, the off-road SUVs, and the classy luxury cars. Each type of car is designed to meet specific needs, offers distinct characteristics (size, style, performance, usage, etc.), and is represented in its own distinctive universe.

Similarly, each card at Qonto has been endowed with unique perks, pricing, and art direction. We infused each card with unique personality traits, shaping its individual identity:

• The One Card radiates an ‘optimistic’ feel, providing essential features for daily business needs.
• In contrast, the Plus Card exudes a ‘sophisticated’ aura, offering advanced features and higher limits tailored for established businesses.
• The X Card, with its ‘distinguished’ essence, stands out from the crowd with its metal design.

This intentional differentiation serves as the cornerstone of our approach, ensuring each card possesses a distinct character. Visually, each card is crafted to express its identity through framing, angles, and composition. The detailed close-ups of the X Card underscore its distinct character, contrasting with the dynamic compositions of the One Card.

Similarly, we defined soundscapes reflecting those characters (e.g., “drum percussion; vibrant and positive” for the One Card, contrasting with “minimal electronic synths” for the Plus Card), adding an auditory dimension to the process.

This approach finds full expression on our website. We seized this opportunity to rethink the user experience (UX) in close collaboration with our dedicated website team. This collaboration has given rise to a showcase offering immersive content with dynamic interactions, conveying a sense of both maturity and delight.

Unveiling the future: Qonto’s new cards take flight into the world

On November 13, we marked the official launch of our cards on a global scale. This journey -filled with challenges, moments of self-reflection, but also successes — was fueled by a common ambition: to offer a product more in line with the needs and desires of our users.

In times of challenge and change, we tend to default to our values, using them as a way to steer ourselves in the correct direction. At Qonto, those values are all about ambition, mastery, teamwork and integrity. It’s these four values that guided each step of our card development process.

The most gratifying part of my work lies in working with over a dozen of talented Qonto team members at every step of our journey, from initial conception to launch. I want to warmly thank these individuals, especially Dimitri Gougoulis, Carla Hajjar, Mathieu Micheneau, Matei Convard, Anne Bachscmidt, and over 17 other Qonto team members.

Stay tuned, as we are already working on some exciting surprises for 2024.

About Qonto

Qonto makes it easy for SMEs and freelancers to manage day-to-day banking, thanks to an online business account that’s stacked with invoicing, bookkeeping and spend management tools.

Created in 2016 by Alexandre Prot and Steve Anavi, Qonto now operates in 4 European markets (France, Germany, Italy, and Spain) serving 400,000 customers, and employs more than 1,300 people.

Since its creation, Qonto has raised €622 million from well-established investors. Qonto is one of France’s most highly valued scale-ups and has been listed in the Next40 index, bringing together future global tech leaders, since 2021.

Interested in joining a challenging and game-changing company? Consult our job offers!