Dennis Ranston, the quietly influential artist, illustrator, educator and publisher who helped shape the visual landscape of Jamaican children’s literature and heritage education, passed away on 26 June, 2025. He was 90.
Born in Kingston on 2 December 1934, Ranston’s creative journey began at the age of 20 when he travelled to London to study art. He won a prestigious four-year scholarship to the Regent Street Polytechnic, where he earned the National Diploma in Design, majoring in book illustration. Further studies at the London College of Printing ignited a lasting passion for lithography, a medium in which he would later exhibit works at the Senefelder Institute in London.
Even while still in college, Ranston’s talent was recognised by major London publishers, including Routlege & Kegan Paul, who commissioned him to illustrate children’s books for the Caribbean, a clear indication of the cultural thread that would continue to run through his life’s work.
In 1964, he joined Longman Publishing Company’s Overseas Department, where he illustrated and designed books for Africa and the Caribbean. He also lectured part-time at the Croydon College of Art and ran summer workshops in art for the youngsters of Brixton’s Jamaican community. It was during his tenure at Longman that Dennis met his future wife, Jackie, the researcher and illustrations editor for Africa and the Caribbean. In 1970, the couple relocated to Jamaica where Dennis set up and headed the Graphic Design Department at the Jamaica School of Art (now the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts).
In 1973, Ranston’s design for the new Order of Merit was accepted by the Government and College of Heraldry with no alterations. The following year he founded Twin Guinep, a publishing company focusing on Early Childhood Education and Jamaican heritage. That same year he launched The Way To series for children aged two to five — a collection that remains in print to this day.
Over the years, Ranston’s illustrations graced books and covers, notably the first editions of Vic Reid’s novels for younger readers, which helped children connect with their own history in powerful and visual ways. His work extended to JAMAL in the 1970s, where he helped create engaging educational materials, and working with the Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute to produce booklets, posters and pamphlets for parents and children across the region. He also indulged in designing stage sets for local theatres and training a team of students to assist in designing and setting up several exhibitions at the national arena and Denbigh.
Among the many works he designed and published, Ranston held a special reverence for Olive Senior’s Encyclopaedia of Jamaican Heritage, believing it belonged in every office, classroom and home.
A devoted family man, Ranston is survived by his wife, three children, three grandchildren and will be remembered not only for his kindness and calming presence, but his unwavering belief in the power of art to educate and inspire.

An illustration by Dennis Ranston for Vic Reid’s Peter of Mount Ephraim book, depicting events leading up to Sam Sharpe’s Rebellion as seen through the eyes of a young slave.