I, like a lot of people who ride a lot, won't ride on anything other than a hard leather saddle (Brooks or the like). But I'm not sure I'd recommend that for someone who's just starting out on daily riding. As you get used to the bike, and while you're still adjusting the way the bike fits you and finding the style of riding that works for you, you'll also be adjusting your idea of what's a comfortable saddle.

The most important factor in choosing a saddle, in my opinion, is the height of the handlebar relative to the saddle. The higher the handlebar, the wider the saddle. With the handlebar relatively high, you put more weight on the saddle and may therefore benefit from springs under the saddle; if the handlebar is relatively low then you'll put more weight on your hands/arms and less weight on the saddle, so springs on the saddle just make you bounce, which is annoying.

The thing I like about a hard leather saddle (Brooks or the like) is that (1) there's very little friction between the saddle and my pants, and (2) the material breathes.