Summary:
{{Template}}
'''Sadamitsu "S. Neil" Fujita''' (May 16, 1921 – October 23, 2010) was an American [[graphic designer]] known for his innovative book cover and record album designs.
==Background==
Born in [[Waimea, Kauai County, Hawaii|Waimea, Hawaii]] to Japanese immigrants, he attended boarding school in [[Honolulu]], where he adopted the name Neil. He enrolled in [[Chouinard Art Institute]], but his studies were interrupted by [[World War II]] and his forced relocation to the [[Heart Mountain Relocation Center]] in [[Wyoming]] in 1942. He enlisted in the [[United States Army]] on January 1, 1943, and served in an anti-tank unit with the [[442nd Infantry Regiment (United States)|442nd Infantry Regiment]], a regiment consisting primarily of [[Japanese American]] volunteers that became the most decorated unit in the war. He was assigned to combat duty in Europe—seeing action in Italy and France—but eventually worked as a translator in the Pacific theater in Okinawa. He completed his studies at Chouinard after the war.
==Death==
A resident of [[Southold, New York]], Fujita died at age 89 due to complications of a [[stroke]] on October 23, 2010, in [[Greenport, New York]]. He was survived by three sons and six grandchildren. His wife, Aiko Tamaki, whom he met while she was also a student at Chouinard, died in 2006.
==Career==
Fujita joined a prominent Philadelphia ad agency—[[N. W. Ayer & Son]]—after completing his studies. He employed an avant-garde style and was noticed by [[Columbia Records]]. Columbia hired him in 1954 to build a design department to build on the work of [[Alex Steinweiss]]. Columbia felt a particular need to keep up with the cover art of [[Blue Note Records]]. Fujita created numerous iconic covers of the period, including that of ''[[Time Out (album)|Time Out]]'', ''[['Round About Midnight]]'', and ''[[Mingus Ah Um]]''.
In 1957, Fujita left Columbia in order to broaden his portfolio. He started his own firm, but rejoined the company soon after. In 1963 he joined the public relations firm [[Ruder Finn|Ruder & Finn]], creating a design division called Ruder, Finn & Fujita (later Fujita Design) where he embarked on a long career of book cover design. He designed the covers for ''[[In Cold Blood]]'', ''[[The Godfather (novel)|The Godfather]]'', and ''[[Pigeon Feathers]]''.
{{GFDL}}
'''Sadamitsu "S. Neil" Fujita''' (May 16, 1921 – October 23, 2010) was an American [[graphic designer]] known for his innovative book cover and record album designs.
==Background==
Born in [[Waimea, Kauai County, Hawaii|Waimea, Hawaii]] to Japanese immigrants, he attended boarding school in [[Honolulu]], where he adopted the name Neil. He enrolled in [[Chouinard Art Institute]], but his studies were interrupted by [[World War II]] and his forced relocation to the [[Heart Mountain Relocation Center]] in [[Wyoming]] in 1942. He enlisted in the [[United States Army]] on January 1, 1943, and served in an anti-tank unit with the [[442nd Infantry Regiment (United States)|442nd Infantry Regiment]], a regiment consisting primarily of [[Japanese American]] volunteers that became the most decorated unit in the war. He was assigned to combat duty in Europe—seeing action in Italy and France—but eventually worked as a translator in the Pacific theater in Okinawa. He completed his studies at Chouinard after the war.
==Death==
A resident of [[Southold, New York]], Fujita died at age 89 due to complications of a [[stroke]] on October 23, 2010, in [[Greenport, New York]]. He was survived by three sons and six grandchildren. His wife, Aiko Tamaki, whom he met while she was also a student at Chouinard, died in 2006.
==Career==
Fujita joined a prominent Philadelphia ad agency—[[N. W. Ayer & Son]]—after completing his studies. He employed an avant-garde style and was noticed by [[Columbia Records]]. Columbia hired him in 1954 to build a design department to build on the work of [[Alex Steinweiss]]. Columbia felt a particular need to keep up with the cover art of [[Blue Note Records]]. Fujita created numerous iconic covers of the period, including that of ''[[Time Out (album)|Time Out]]'', ''[['Round About Midnight]]'', and ''[[Mingus Ah Um]]''.
In 1957, Fujita left Columbia in order to broaden his portfolio. He started his own firm, but rejoined the company soon after. In 1963 he joined the public relations firm [[Ruder Finn|Ruder & Finn]], creating a design division called Ruder, Finn & Fujita (later Fujita Design) where he embarked on a long career of book cover design. He designed the covers for ''[[In Cold Blood]]'', ''[[The Godfather (novel)|The Godfather]]'', and ''[[Pigeon Feathers]]''.
{{GFDL}}