There's a lot that's cool with Cantrips, and they do a lot to customize a character.
As I see it, the first choice involves (a) "casual magic" -- can the character do small (non-combat effects) trivially, through Prestidigitation, Druidcraft, or Thaumaturgy? By choosing "yes", there's only one or two cantrips left; "by choosing "no", the player is making a claim about the character's involvement with magic (or magic in the world). that's cool.
After that, there are
(b) Attack cantrips (for all but bards)
(c) support spells (light, mage hand, message)
(d) teambuilding spells (giving direct benefits to others, guidance, resistance, spare the dying)
(e) more ways to "colour" magic in the world (read Magic, minor illusion)
So there's five "types" of cantrip* and no spell caster can have all of them represented. Some will choose an attack cantrip, others won't . And if they do, they potentially can't support the party as well, or they can't do fun party tricks that allow for more creative role-play.
I'd say the general approach to cantrips in 5e is better than what I've seen previously -- it's pretty fun.
(The only thing interfering with this right now, as I see it, is that cantrips are part of a Mage's spell book, and it's just that I've not played enough to see how this works as more cantrips are added. The implied story doesn't work for me either, but that's my hangup, and nothing to do with the game.)
* and please, everyone: this is only one of many possible classifications, and it makes no claims to completeness or rigour; I'm only setting out the way I see it when I've been making spell casters with the play test materials.