NME was originally known as New Musical Express and was created by Theodore Smythson in 1952 as a music newspaper. It gradually transitioned to a magazine format during the 1980s and 1990s. NME was the first British paper to include a singles chart and became the best-selling British music magazine in the 1970s. While its print circulation has declined to around 23,000, its website NME.com launched in 1996 and now attracts over 7 million users per month. The magazine maintains its brand identity through features like using uppercase bold font for the masthead always in the same location, and using red, white, and black colors on the cover to appear more masculine and serious and promote indie rock music.