Design of first page different - how to approach

Dear GP Team,
Two questions:
First:
I would like to create a new website using GP Premium. My idea is to make the first page (index.html) in a different design:
- this page should be only an arrangement of pictures for all the links of the navigation
- no navigation displayed otherwise
- secondary navigation appears in the footer like on all pages
I made a design by using Elementor, using Disabling Elements and some CSS that only applies to this page.
Any better/more elegant way to do this?

Second: If I wanted to make the same pictures like I used for the menu items on the first page as a squared picture (150x150px maybe) buttom with text in the left-side-bar as navigation (i.e. in the navigation each menu gets a background picture) - would you use css for this and add the picture by css to every menu item or is there another way?

Thank you, Erika