I noticed this same risk-averse "generic" phenomenon about article bodies. I was trying to design a wordpress theme for my blog and I was googling some things and readings articles. I had multiple tabs open and while I was in the middle of an article I realized I couldn't even tell what website that article belonged to! Every website was white with black text on it. Web "design" seemed limited to picking which color…
Good.
> They were all forgettable and devoid of personality
Are you similarly upset that books are so "devoid of personality"?
The work of a book designer differs essentially from that of a graphic artist. While the latter is constantly searching for new means of expression, driven at the very least by his desire for a "personal style", a book designer has to be the loyal and tactful servant of the written word. It is his job to create a manner of presentation whose form neither overshadows nor patronizes the content [... whereas] work of the graphic artist must correspond to the needs of the day and, other than in collections, seldom lives on for any length of time[...] The aim of the graphic artist is self-expression, while the responsible book designer, conscious of his obligation, divests himself of this ambition. Book design is no field for those who desire to mint the style of today or to create something. --Tschichold, on the form of the book
We should be so lucky if web designers grew up and subordinated their impulses—of imparting their (eventually unfashionable) "personal styles"—to their duty to serve the page and the content the way that it is done with books.