Ok, I think I see what you want.
- Create your layers (you don't have to design them yet)
- Create the links to your base objects.
- Copy the linked objects from the base to the layers.
- The links come with the objects; you don't have to relink them
- Format the layer's objects.
- I highly recommend getting used to the format painter for this:
- Select the objects whose format you want to copy
- Press Format Painter
- Select the object whose format you want to be changed.
I'm attaching an incomplete file in which you can experiment. Copy the objects on layer 2 and paste them to layers 3, 4, and 5. They are already linked, so that should work fine. Then you just have to go in and change the formatting on 2 boxes per layer.