Much like a faucet, attitudes towards sinks range from "a tub for my dirty crap" to a shining vessel of style. And even more like faucets, they have utility that many don't think about.
From an aesthetic perspective, there are two major classes of finish: enameled and stainless. Stainless has basically one finish, whereas enameled can come in a huge range of colors. There's a lesser known granite composite option, which I will talk more about later. If you want the stainless look, stainless it is. If not, then enameled or granite is your choice. Each has its upside and downside.
Stainless steel sinks are made from a relatively thin sheet of steel (I believe 1/16th of an inch is pretty standard). They are also a bit flexible (in extreme cases, it's possible to completely puncture them!). Combine those together in a concave form aand you've basically created a drum. Next time you're by an installed stainless sink, drum on the side with your fingers. Loud, huh? For this same reason, your pots, pans, silverware, bottles, whatever will be extra clangy in there. Also, metal on metal makes for a pretty awful sound. Stainless will also scratch up over time, and depending on the quality of the steel may even get spots of rust (though I don't think this is common). As far as I'm concerned, there is no objective positive about a stainless sink. Buy it only for looks if you can tolerate the negatives.
Enameled sinks use an enamel cover over a base, such as cast iron. They are more durable and the enamel reduces scraping sounds. You can put your hot pans into them with very little risk (though they do warn that such behavior can cause thermal shock and cracking). However, the enamel can wear down over time, leading to a scratched look.
Granite composite sinks improve on the enameled design. They are even quieter (and even help muffle garbage disposal noise!) and practically impervious to all damage. They won't chip or scratch, and are safe for placing items as hot as 500 degrees into them. Unfortunately they have a limited selection of styles, brands and colors.
Now that we got the material details out of the way, it's time to talk about utility. Sinks come in a variety of outlines; one shape isn't objectively better than another. However, the bowl configuration is key. Sinks are difficult to use if they are too shallow (think splashing water out) or if their bowls are too small. You need to have at least one bowl that can contain your largest cooking item. Don't forget that handles need to fit too, otherwise you can't really immerse said item in water. A sink that is a single large bowl is a safe bet, however, it's good to have a 2nd bowl for "dirty" tasks like peeling/washing veggies, etc. This 2nd bowl should have the garbage disposal attached as well. Also, this bowl does not need to be large. Look for a sink that uses an uneven split, even as lopsided as 80/20.
We ended up getting the Kohler Iron Tones, which features their really cool Smart Divide design. The divider between the bowls is only half as tall as the sink, thereby allowing pan handles to overlap into the 2nd bowl, but still be fully immersible. The sink decision itself was easy enough, however we had to scramble. Despite having a good 2-3 weeks to have it ready, we had a hard time finding a retailer who could promise us the sink in that timeframe. Most showrooms said they'd have to place an order with Kohler (who I assume batches production of sinks and ships them out once a month or something), so there was no guarantee on the timing. Online retailers didn't have the sink+color combo we wanted. Luckily we finally found one showroom that had one copy in stock in California, and we pounced on it. We ended up having to pay about $300 more than if we'd had time to go through an online retailer.
Moral of the story: sinks can be surprisingly difficult to get a hold of, so order in plenty of time to save yourself stress and money.
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