Arts also developed culturally and geographically. Arts like Tae Kwon Do, Northern Praying Mantis, Tang Soo Do and other high flying kicking arts developed in Korea and Northern China. In those regions they are taller. Being that that was the case they could do all the jumping and high flying kicks and combinations. However, in Southern China, Japan and Okinawa they were shorter. So they used more hands then feet and stayed more to the ground. So those arts like styles of Karate, Aikido, and  Wing Chun developed the way they did.
 
For example if your 5'4 and 119 pounds then Tae Kwon Do or Tang Soo Do would not suit you best...Remember that Arts developed geographically also. Koreans and Northern Chinese tend to be taller. So the development of those arts take advantage of that. A tall persons kicks will be a lot more powerful than a shorter persons. They will be able to jump higher and farther. Those arts would not be as suitable for a shorter person as Aikido, Wing Chun, or styles of Karate. And also the opposite can be true as most tall people fighting in the ranges that shorter people will do would not make most of their longer limbs. And stocky people tend to have more power...with that size some styles for short people maybe out as well as some kicking arts, depending on their height. Because of this... you'll sometimes hear the Chinese phrase "northern kicks and southern fists" to express the evolution these Martial Arts.
  What also plays a big role is the specific philosophy/doctrine of an Art. The philosophy of Tae Kwon do, for example, is that the legs are a better weapon then the hands and that also to confront your opponant head on. A HARD style. And since its primary source of power are muscular strength...an EXTERNAL art as well. With that in mind your training and the techniques that art uses are geared twards those beliefs. High kicks and many combinations. In Aikido the philosophy is that one must defend without causing permenant harm and/or damage. With this in mind Aikido concentrates on off balancing an opponant and redirecting the eneregy of the attack back at them...causing them to be thrown to the ground. And being of Japanese origin.,being shorter people, it has no kicks at all. Not wishing to harm anyone it goes to the extreme on not meeting force with force. And only using a few strikes as softing techniques and not as a primary way to defend. A SOFT style. Its primary source of power being KI and/or JIN makes it an INTERNAL art. Wing Chun is a good example of both. Its beliefs being that close range and aggresion is best for defense it uses both HARD and SOFT techniques. Redirecting the energy from a SOFT defense..not meeting force with force but using that energy to attack strong with multiple strikes. Its source of power uses both EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL means...however it relies more on the INTERNAL. This enables Wing Chun to be used by smaller people as it is a southern style of China. After all it was developed by a Shaolin nun. While Hapkido, a Korean art, utilizing all the principles as Wing Chun, it uses more kicking than Tae Kwon Do, blends and redirects like Aikido and attacks strong like Karate.
  You have to ascess your physical assets in choosing a style...
  Next you need to look at your emotional side...can you handle breaking bone or making a person bleed or can you not stand that at all? If you can you have plenty of arts to choose from...if not then you are limited... Aikido being the most defensive and non aggressive art..not causing permenant damage and able to take on multiple attackers...
  What fighting range are you most likely to encounter? If you live in a crowded city and are in small spaces an art like Tang Soo Do would mostly be rendered usless...being as it is a longer range art. Will the people you fight have friends to help? If so using a ground fighting art as a primary style would not be practical as friends tend to jump in and help. Last place you want to be is on the ground. Make them fight your fight. Standing. Not to say ground fighting isn't a great supplement as in emergencies...but get back on your feet quick.
  Train for environment. Do you live on a farm or city? will you be fighting on ice? snow? mud? hills? etc? Make sure that your art will be adaptable to your environment. The better you'll be able to use your leaned skill.
  In the end you know what best fits you if you understand the principles and the doctrine/philosophy of the art you are looking into studying.
  And of course you should research any and every style of art you may want to study. Its history, principles, techniques, and its philosophy/doctrine...  The more you know the better you can decide what style would best fit you.
  The art you choose will be your primary or core art. It will encompass what best fits you: personality, physicality, emotions, and environment in which you are most likely use it... You MUST master your core art's basic techniques. There is no doubt that your BASIC skills should be instinctive before you can supplement it. Using first degree Blackbelt as a measuring stick because by then they should be instinctive.. By supplementation you would try to fill the gaps of your Art with another. An example youd be many who take Tae Kwon Do would supplement its long range kicking with Boxing or even Choy Lu Fut for mid to long range..hand techniques. Also using Jujitsu to cover ground fighting. Of course there are other Arts that have all those anyway. However you should not supplement til
AFTER you have mastered the basics of your CORE ART (blackbelt level) and then and ONLY then can you add techniques from another art, or completely learn other styles.
  The better you can understand your art. The better you will train. The better prepared you will be.


                                                                                            
Good Luck in finding an Art....
HOW DO YOU CHOOSE A MARTIAL ART?
SUGGESTED READING

LIVING THE MARTIAL WAY
-FORREST E. MORGAN
BARRACKS BOOKS

THE MARTIAL ARTS SOURCE BOOK-JOHN CORCORAN
HARPER COLLINS

THE MARTIAL ARTS ENCYCLOPEDIA-CORCORAN/FARKAS/SOBEL
PRO-ACTION PUBLISHING

-NINJITSU-
"Kempo fits itself to you, not the other way around."-Shaolin Kempo Grandmaster   
                                            Fred Villari