Issue creating an image with text below where BOTH are clickable (to an outside link)

In Squarespace 7.1 trying to create an image with text below where BOTH are clickable (as in you know it’s a link when you hover on it. No visible hyperlinks or only part of the text). I’d like to uses these as building blocks, if you will, in a variety of formats - a row with 4 images is the main one, but I’d also like to achieve some of the askew formatting of 2 across images found in gallery / images. 

Ideally I’d like to be able to format the text below on three lines, each in different sizes and potentially fonts. Imagine the text below a product image on a typical shopping product list page (this will link offsite, not to a shoppable item on squarespace).

Attached images of two desired layouts. 

Here’s the problem:

When I create in list, I get the look I want but the image nor the text are linkable. (Image attached.)

When I create with gallery, I can get the image to link but not the description text below it. (And this is not the ideal format for the text but I’ll take it if it’s the only option.) (Image attached.)

When I create from scratch using “+”, the space between the image and text is HUGE. (Image attached.)

Images templates allow you to link image and hyperlink PART of the description so thats good. The issue is that I cannot create 4 images across that I need - only the askew layouts. 

I even tried using the people layout as the look was pretty close to what I wanted, BUT the image nor the text are linkable.

Can someone help? (FYI I am not a developer, but will try to implement any simple code fixes.)

Hi,

All three problems, we can solve with code.

If you share link to page where you have problem, we can help easier