I choose chainring sizes according to what sprockets I use most on the cassette. Most cassettes have a sweet spot near the outer middle where the steps start getting larger. So I prefer to concentrate my flat ground cruising use there where the steps are smallest. These are also the combinations where the chain line is straighest which is a secondary benefit.

If I've dialed it in right I'll be riding the 3rd and 4th sprockets the most, leaving 2 higher gears for shallow downslopes, tailwinds or when I'm "in the zone", ant the rest of the cassette and inner ring for climbing. The climbing consideration determines the range of the cassette so my inner ring and low gear sprocket are adequate for whatever I expect (or I might add a "bailout" granny, for those rare hills beyond what I usually encounter).