JSFiddle - React, Tailwind, and code Playground

HTML

<div id="fieldPerimeter"> </div>

CSS

* {
  margin: 0;
  pading: 0;
  color: white;
}

.box{
  width: 100px;
  height: 50px;
  background-color: #ccc;
  margin: 5px;
  font-size: 2em;
  text-align: center;
  line-height: 1.5em;
  position:absolute;
}

#fieldPerimeter{
  height: 100%;
  background-color: blue;
}

JavaScript

(function () {
    var i, lastBox,
      MAX_DIVS       = 72,
      BOX_HEIGHT     = 50,
      BOX_WIDTH      = 100,
      BOX_MARGIN     = 5,
      field          = document.getElementById('fieldPerimeter'),
      fieldHeight    = field.offsetHeight,
      maxRows        = Math.floor(fieldHeight / (BOX_HEIGHT + BOX_MARGIN)),
      rowIndex       = 0,
      colIndex       = 0,
      lastLeftOffset = 0,
      lastTopOffset  = 0;

  function moveBox(box, where) {
    switch (where) {
      case "north":
        lastTopOffset -= BOX_HEIGHT + BOX_MARGIN;
        box.style.top  = lastTopOffset  + 'px';
        box.style.left = lastLeftOffset + 'px';
        rowIndex -= 1;
        break;
            
      case "east":
        lastLeftOffset += BOX_WIDTH + BOX_MARGIN;
        box.style.top  = lastTopOffset  + 'px';
        box.style.left = lastLeftOffset + 'px';
        colIndex += 1;
        break;

      case "south":
        lastTopOffset += BOX_HEIGHT + BOX_MARGIN;
        box.style.top  = lastTopOffset  + 'px';
        box.style.left = lastLeftOffset + 'px';
        rowIndex += 1;
        break;

      default:
        break;
    }
  }
      
  for (i = 0; i < MAX_DIVS; i += 1) {
    lastBox = document.createElement('div');
    lastBox.className = 'box';
    lastBox.innerHTML = i;
    field.appendChild(lastBox);      
 
    //delete me 
    if( (i + 1) % 2 === 0 || (i + 1)% 3 === 0){ 
      moveBox(lastBox, "east");
    } else {
      moveBox(lastBox, "south");
    }
    //delete me      
      
//    if(rowIndex < maxRows && rowIndex > 0){
//    if (colIndex % 4 === 0){
//      moveBox(lastBox, "south");
//    } else if (colIndex % 2 === 0){
//      moveBox(lastBox, "north");
//    } else {
//     moveBox(lastBox, "east");
//    }
//  } 
  
  }      
})();