S. Neil Fujita

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Sadamitsu Neil Fujita (born May 16, 1921 in Waimea , Hawaii , † October 22, 2010 in Greenport, Long Island ) was an American graphic designer who became known for his cover design of jazz albums and book covers.

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Sadamitsu Fujita's father worked on a sugar plantation in Hawaii; when he attended school in Honolulu, he received the American first name Neil . After graduation, he attended the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles; however, his studies were interrupted in 1942 when he, like many other Japanese immigrants, was interned. In 1943 he was recruited into the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and did his military service in Italy and France; after that he worked as a translator for military intelligence in the western Pacific. After his discharge from the army in 1947, he returned to the Chouinard Institute and studied graphic design.

As an employee of the advertising agency, he worked in Philadelphia from 1949 until 1954 when the major label Columbia Records became aware of him. During this time he designed a. a. the album covers of records by Miles Davis ( 'Round About Midnight ) and Art Blakey The Jazz Messengers (1956) and 1959 Davis' Kind of Blue , Charles Mingus ( Mingus Ah Um ) and Dave Brubeck ( Time Out ); When designing these last two covers, he leaned on abstract expressionism . The following year he left Columbia to open his own agency; 1963 went to the advertising agency Ruder & Finn to set up a sub-department for design, which eventually developed into Fujita Design . His clients were primarily book publishers. His book illustration was best known for Truman Capote's factual novel in cold blood , the edition of Short Stories by John Updike ( Pigeon Feathers ) and Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather . Additional work included the logo for the NBC Today television show. Fujita also taught at the Philadelphia Museum College of Art , the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and the Parsons School of Design in Manhattan . In 2008 his autobiography Mouth of Reddish Water was published .

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personal data
SURNAME Fujita, S. Neil
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Fujita, Sadamitsu
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American graphic designer
DATE OF BIRTH May 16, 1921
PLACE OF BIRTH Waimea , Hawaii
DATE OF DEATH October 22, 2010
Place of death Greenport, Long Island