Lets talk design goals.
My goal here was to create a more affordable pan without sacrificing quality of materials. When it comes to this sort of handmade, the biggest cost is the labor in making it. I distilled the pan design down and simplified things by a huge margin in order to be able to make these at a greater quantity with less variation.
The pan:
By going with a standard pan with no front tab and this specific shape, we cut the time invested in the pan without having to go with a thinner pan, and are able to make them in greater quantities.
The handle:
I designed this handle to be way faster for me to forge to shape without sacrificing overall feel. Two rivets instead of three, and they aren't hidden, so much much less grinding and prep there, as well. More parts made in a go=less labor. Less labor: less expensive. Of course, less labor also means way less unique look. Simple handle. Simple pan. Not much by way of frills or "pretty". But, still the best pan we can make, just like we do on the more artsy side.
How does this compare to the other pan lines?
The artsy side features complex forgings (especially on the handles) that by their very nature are a "one at a time" sort of thing. This simple flat handle can be made up much faster, and with the help of a press brake, as it starts as simple flat stock, and the rivet boss section isn't as 3 dimensional like the other handles. Again, we going for low labor cost. We can't make the other handle styles that way, as the forgings require the slow, old school process to make them.
The whole design question and challenge with this pan was "How can we make a pan without sacrificing quality of build or materials at a cheaper price point?" The answer to that challenge was in simple, no frills design, which allowed us to simplify everything else. Again, no frills means less time spent, means less labor.