Simple Stripes

• Creating colorful stripes is one of the simplest ways to make a design with vegetables. Line up cherry tomatoes and broccoli florets to make festive green and red stripes. Cut red, orange, yellow and green bell peppers into strips, then place the strips in coordinating lines to create a partial rainbow effect. Cover a tray with celery sticks and arrange thin lines of baby carrots horizontally across them for a pinstripe design.

Elegant Flowers

• Vegetables are colorful enough to carry off any floral motif you can dream up. Arrange any leafy green vegetable, such as spinach, on a tray to create a background color for the flowers. Place a cherry tomato on the prepared tray and surround it with cauliflower florets for a simple design. Repeat the process at random intervals to cover the tray with the cheerful design. Alternately, cut flower shapes from a thick slice of roasted butternut squash and place them on the prepared tray for a bright floral creation. Create a large flower by placing a radish in the center of the tray and surrounding it with steamed purple asparagus.

Amusing Dots

• Bring a whimsical touch to any party with a polka-dotted vegetable tray. Cover the tray with a random layer of thinly sliced cucumber and baby squash for a chaotic dotted theme. Place thick-cut cucumber and baby squash slices in orderly stacks for a more uniform pattern. Cover a tray with cherry tomatoes and decorate with radish slices for a design as bold in look as it is in taste. Layer iceberg lettuce over a tray to create a mellow-colored background. Add stacks of pickles, pickled beets and pickled banana pepper slices to the prepared tray for a brightly colored design.

Amazing Mosaics

• Making a vegetable mosaic takes more time and patience than it does any special skill. Create a star shape with carrot sticks in the middle of a lettuce-covered tray. Outline the star shape with cherry tomatoes, then outline the tomatoes with celery sticks. Continue outlining the star shape with colorful vegetables until the star shape reaches the edge of the tray. Or put together a heart shape with red bell pepper slices and cherry tomatoes for a romantic look. Make a leaf shape with zucchini and cucumbers slices for an earthy appearance.