I don't know if this is a trivial (low-tech) point, but I'll point it out anyway...
In the older Zorins, it seems the theme had a more legible system-menu (where the date & time is) in that it had a larger, bolder appearance. Under the Zorin taskbar style, I like to "override panel theme background opacity" such that there's no grey bar at the top or bottom.
SUGGESTION: My background is dark, so it would be nice if there were "Theme Accent Colors" that were light, such as white and/or yellow.
I found a workaround that suited my petty fancy.
Meanwhile, Zorin 16 is going very nicely here and am getting used to its idiosyncrasies.