Compact arrangement of DIVs in two directions

Answer 1

Or if you are no big fan of absolute positioning (like I am) try this:

With the corresponding CSS:

#red {
    width: 180px;
    height: 200px;
    background-color: Red;
}

#yellow {
    width: 200px;
    height: 100px;
    background-color: Yellow;
}

#blue {
    width: 150px;
    height: 60px;
    background-color: Blue;
}

#green {
    float: left;
    width: 140px;
    height: 240px;
    background-color: Green;
}

#purple {
    width: 130px;
    height: 160px;
    background-color: Purple;
}

Here's a small demo.