Playbill font was designed by Robert Harling in 1938 and the font first appeared with the foundry Stephenson Blake. The figures are based on those of the so-called woodtypes, a style made popular through use on wanted posters in westerns. Adrian Frutiger's Westside is a similar font. Playbill is as rough and ready as the Wild West of which it is reminiscent and its robust figures are a particularly good choice for headlines. Its style is that of the Italienne typefaces due to serifs which are thicker than the strokes.