Textbook Narcissism is a small collective for artists, designers, and developers who want to make apps the way people make art: independently, carefully, and on their own terms.
The collective operates as a publisher. An artist brings a project; the studio provides the boring-but-necessary infrastructure — developer accounts, app store submissions, distribution, and the legal wrapper of an LLC. Creative control and ownership always stays with the creator.
Small is a feature.
An app can be a complete thought, not a platform. We reject feature creep and infinite roadmap traps in favor of focused, beautifully executed singular ideas.
Attention is borrowed, not harvested.
Nothing we ship is designed to maximize time-in-app. No push notification spam, no dark patterns, no algorithmic feeds designed to keep you scrolling.
Artists should own their work.
The studio is a wrapper, not a landlord. Creators retain full equity, copyright, and creative control over their projects forever.
Everything we publish is made by an independent artist or a small crew. Ownership always stays with the creator.
Project VIGIL
Project VIGIL is a piece of conceptual art built as a news app, a response to a culture that turns not-knowing into content. It observes one undisclosed event and reports nothing until there is something definitive: a single verified, binary status.
Arrangappella
Arrangappella is a visual a cappella arranger. Import sheet music or hum a melody, and it auto-composes a singable SATB arrangement using real voice-leading rules: an experiment in making vocal arranging feel like sketching, not transcription.
Media Literacy Engine
Media Literacy Engine is an open-source research project studying clickbait and rhetorical patterns in modern media headlines. Built as a deterministic tool with transparent rules, it provides open research that anyone can integrate into journalism apps, services, or feed readers.
Know News
Know News is a hybrid news app bridging the independence of RSS with the polish of traditional publications, built with a singular focus on being a quiet reader. It combines curated typography and fair-share source balance without algorithmic feeds or manufactured urgency.
Incubating Concept
One inbox, read by a human.
contact@textbooknarcissism.comArtists & Designers
If you have an app you want to make and would rather join a collective than found a startup, write to us with a short description of the project. We read everything and respond to those we can actually help with.
Support & Inquiries
For support with any Textbook Narcissism app, press, or partnership questions, email us with the project name in the subject line.