Better highlighting of the command line

When typing a vi(m) command it is not intuitive where the command line is, as it is surrounded by all kind of other information, is not highlighted, has a small font and shows little motion. The indication if one is in command mode or input mode is thus also only subtly given by the shape of the caret. Often I need to search for it first when looking what I have already entered for a search.

Describe the solution you'd like
The display of the command line should be more prominent or more highlighted. When entering a command, the command line show be clearly in view and not something one has to search. It could be highlighted with another color than the rest of the UI (permanently, in command mode, or only when something is entered), or placed somewhere more intuitive. I wonder if it wouldn't be useful to get it out of the status bar and onto the bottom of the code area.

Describe alternatives you've considered
Possibly one could try to highlight the element with a theme, custom CSS or similar? But I suppose this is not only for me an UX issue, but may confuse more users. It could also be configurable if one just wants it in the status bar, or directly at the code view.

Start by locating the command-line and status-bar UI used for Vim search and command input in the VS Code extension. Compare the command and input modes, then clarify and choose a placement or highlighting approach; done should make the active command line easy to find without relying on the caret shape.