It makes it easier to understand what this is and that they are interconnected, but I think I enjoy unique branding/themes more in practice now that I am actually using the fediverse.
I like the different instances having their own branding but i like the option to switch back to the normal theme. I also like when users put their own spin on the services logo instead of using something unrelated.
I do think there does need to be an amount of consistancy in branding so it’s more apparent that these things can talk to eachother.
Something like many Reddit subs do with the snoo, where they took a common, recognizable icon and customized it for their instance would have worked well if there was a similar icon for instances to latch onto, but we’re past that point now.
I mean there’s the Lemmy mouse mascot guy, but yeah instances are already pretty established