Looks are important
Can’t say as I’ve got any real bar tape preferences in terms of brands. Lots of people swear by Cinelli tape, and Fizik do some nice stuff too, but there’s loads of it out there. I like cork tape cos it’s nice and grippy.
My main criteria is that it matches the bike and that it’s well padded – gel tapes will take care of that, although I think gel pads like Specialized Bar Phat or Fizik Bar Gel pads which go on under the tape give even more cushioning.
A quick hunt around reveals that these days Spesh Bar Phat inserts come as part of a package with tape, unlike the fizik gel pads which can be used with any tape and cut to the shape of your bars – and it’s washable and reuseable. So that would probably be my preferred choice matched up with some nice looking cork tape.