Coogee Diggers — Brand Guidelines
— Coogee Diggers / Brand Identity System
Volume 01
2026 / Edition Two
Internal & Partner Use

Disrupt.
Imagine.
Reinvent.

The complete brand guidelines for Coogee Diggers — a 90-year-old community institution rebuilt for the next generation. One master brand. Many ways in.

90yrsServing the community since 1935
07Sub-brands under one master
04Core G.R.I.T values
20342 Byron St, Coogee NSW
Begin
Index

Inside the book.

01 The Diggers Story Heritage 02 Brand Architecture System 03 G.R.I.T Values Core 04 Brand Pillars Belief 05 Voice & Tone Language 06 The Logo System Mark 07 Colour Palette Visual 08 Typography Type 09 Photography Style Image 10 Applications In use 11 Digital & SEO Online 12 Governance Custody
01 — Origin Story

Ninety years of turning up.

Coogee Diggers wasn't built for trends. It was built in 1935 by returned soldiers who wanted a place to gather, train, recover and stand together. Today the venue still sits on the corner of Byron & Carr Street — and the spirit hasn't moved either. Every modern decision, every yellow accent, every spin class and steak special, traces back to one founding idea: serve the community.

1935
The sub-branch is founded.
Coogee-Randwick RSL Sub-Branch is established to support returning World War I service members and their families. The community presence is born.
Post-war
A permanent home on Byron Street.
After relocating several times, the club moves to the corner of Byron & Carr Street, Coogee — the address it still calls home. The Memorial Hall is built as a "monument of enterprise and energy" for the community.
2000
A modern wordmark emerges.
The first contemporary "COOGEE DIGGERS" wordmark appears — a clean, lowercase signature reflecting a shift from RSL formality to community-club approachability.
2010
The shield era.
Diggers leans into a heritage shield identity, splitting the master brand into Club and Fitness for the first time. Bold, badged, militaristic — but no longer flexible enough for a multi-experience venue.
2022
The current identity.
The brand is reset around three words — Community. Wellness. Entertainment. — with a refined anchor-and-sunburst mark, lemon-yellow accent and a single master brand carrying multiple sub-experiences (Gym, Club, Café, Bar, Swim, Events, Physio).
Today
One venue. Six lives a day.
A member can train at 6am, refuel at the café by 9, return for a sauna and recovery at 5, and meet friends in the bistro by 7. The brand exists to make all of that feel like one continuous experience under one yellow flag.
02 — Brand Architecture

One master.
Many ways in.

Coogee Diggers is a "branded house" — a master brand that umbrellas a family of sub-experiences. Each sub-brand inherits the master's visual DNA, but flexes tone and emphasis to match its audience and purpose. This is how a single venue speaks to a 6am HYROX athlete, a Wednesday-night raffle regular, and a learn-to-swim parent — without contradicting itself.

— Master Brand
Coogee Diggers
Gym
24/7 training, PT, HYROX
Club
Member club & functions
Café
Daytime fuel & coffee
Bistro & Bar
Evening dining & specials
Swim
Learn-to-swim & squads
Events
Function & private hire
Physio
Be Fit Training Physio

How sub-brands inherit

Every sub-brand uses the master Diggers wordmark as primary identifier. Sub-brand names sit beneath or beside (never above or in place of) the master mark — and always in the master typeface, never as a separate lock-up logo.

How partners co-exist

External partner brands (e.g. Be Fit Training Physio, HYROX) operate as endorsed sub-brands. The Diggers mark is primary; partner marks may appear with at least 24% size differential and clear separation. Diggers always leads.

03 — Core Values

G.R.I.T

Four words. One acronym. The operating system behind every decision the team makes — from how a coach corrects a member's form to how the kitchen plates a $15 schnitty.

G.R.I.T isn't a poster on the wall. It's the test we apply to every new program, partnership, and piece of communication that leaves the building. If it doesn't honour at least one of these, it doesn't ship.

G
Value 01 / 04
Guts

The foundation. Guts is the courage to take risks, face challenges head-on, and overcome obstacles — to be bold, fearless, and unafraid to push boundaries. We believe risk-taking and embracing change is the key to growth. Guts also names the passion, commitment, and ownership it takes to make things happen.

R
Value 02 / 04
Resilience

The driving force. Resilience is the focus, drive, readiness for change and perseverance we bring to every goal. When we're resilient, we can overcome any obstacle. We are committed to being adaptable and persistent in the face of challenges — in the gym, in the kitchen, in the boardroom.

I
Value 03 / 04
Initiative

The backbone. Initiative is the ability to see the world differently, to be creative and edgy in approach. When we take initiative we discover new opportunities and create innovative solutions to problems. We are committed to being proactive and taking charge of our own success — and our members'.

T
Value 04 / 04
Team Spirit

The final piece. Team Spirit is camaraderie, positivity, and the ability to show the way. When we work together as a team — coaches, members, staff, partners — we achieve great things. We are committed to supporting one another and fostering a positive, collaborative environment.

04 — Brand Pillars

What we stand on.

G.R.I.T is how we act. These three pillars are why we act — the cultural beliefs every member, every staffer, every partner is asked to share. They show up in hiring, programming, copywriting, and Friday night comedy nights alike.

— Pillar 01

Authentic

Boldness and audacity. The willingness to take risks and pursue ambitious goals in the face of uncertainty. Confidence in what we can build, and a commitment to pushing boundaries instead of imitating other gyms, other clubs, other cafés. We sound like Coogee Diggers — never anyone else.

— Pillar 02

Dedication

Extra effort and personal sacrifice for the mission. The kind of commitment that gets a coach in at 5am and keeps a bartender remembering names twelve years later. Crucial in a community business striving for ambitious goals and lasting impact, not vanity metrics.

— Pillar 03

Lead

Openness to new ideas, creativity, thinking outside the box. The mindset of a leader who stays ahead of the curve and finds new solutions to challenges. We don't follow what gyms or RSLs are "supposed" to look like — we set the next version.

05 — Voice & Tone

How we sound.

We are direct, warm, disruptive. We are never corporate, precious, try-hard.

Diggers speaks the way a great PT speaks to you between sets — clear, encouraging, occasionally cheeky, never patronising. We use plain Australian English, short sentences, and the active voice. We don't say "wellness journey." We say "show up tomorrow."

01

Lead with action, not adjectives.

Verbs do the work. We trim soft modifiers ("really", "very", "amazing") and let the action carry the meaning. If a sentence can lose three words, lose them.

Sound likeShow up. Sweat. Recover. Repeat.
02

Confident, not cocky.

We back ourselves because we've been here ninety years — but we don't lecture. We don't compare ourselves to other gyms. We let the venue and the membership do the talking.

Sound likeBuilt in 1935. Built for you.
03

Inclusive by default.

Diggers is for parents-and-babies swim class and HYROX athletes, veterans and twenty-somethings. We never gatekeep with jargon or assume a fitness level. "All ages, all levels" is the floor, not the ceiling.

Sound likeWhatever shape you turn up in — we'll meet you there.
04

Specific over generic.

Replace generic claims with specific details. Not "great food" — "$15 schnitty & a cold one, Wednesdays." Not "supportive coaches" — "Harrison's been coaching boxing here for six years."

Sound likeWednesday nights: $15 schnitty, raffles at 6:30.
05

Honour the heritage — quietly.

"Est. 1935" earns the right to be confident. We mention the heritage when it matters (community, veterans, longevity) but never lean on it as the whole story. The past is leverage, not the pitch.

Sound likeNinety years of turning up — and we're just getting going.
06

Disrupt. Imagine. Reinvent.

Our existing campaign verbs. Use them sparingly, in bold display contexts — not as filler in body copy. When they appear, they should feel like a flag planted, not a slogan repeated.

Sound likeDISRUPT the routine. IMAGINE the result. REINVENT the new you.
07 — Colour Palette

Two colours.
A thousand uses.

The palette is intentionally restricted: one high-energy yellow, one absolute black, and a small set of supporting neutrals. Restriction is the point — when the rest of the fitness category fights for attention with every colour, Diggers wins by holding the line.

— Primary 01 P 7405 C

Lemon Yellow

Energy, optimism, vitality, sun. Used as a high-impact accent and headline colour. Never as a primary background for long-form text. The "DIGGERS" wordmark colour. Reserved for moments that deserve attention.

HEX
#F5CD00
RGB
245 / 205 / 0
CMYK
0 / 16 / 100 / 4
PMS
7405 C
— Primary 02 BASE BLACK

Diggers Black

Strength, sophistication, stability. Used confidently for backgrounds, body text, and bold display moments. Black is the workhorse — yellow is the spotlight. Use with care: never overwhelming, always intentional.

HEX
#000000
RGB
0 / 0 / 0
CMYK
0 / 0 / 0 / 100
PMS
Black 6 C
Paper
Background — default
#F4F2EC
Warm Paper
Panel / card surface
#EDEAE1
Stone
Disabled / divider
#C9C9C9
Ink
Body text on light
#111111

The 60 / 30 / 10 rule

60% Paper
30% Black
10% Yellow
60% — Paper / NeutralThe default canvas. Backgrounds, long-form body text, surfaces. Lets work breathe.
30% — BlackDominant headlines, structural anchors, hero photography, primary CTAs.
10% — YellowAccent only. Used to direct the eye to a single moment per surface — never two.
08 — Typography

One typeface.
Many voices.

Outfit is our entire type system. A single open-source family, used in nine weights and two cases, gives us flexibility without ever fragmenting the brand. We never substitute another typeface — not for "variety", not for partner brands.

Outfit
Family
Outfit — Google Fonts
Weights
100 — 900 (9 weights)
Designer
Smith / Levy / Polacek
Licence
SIL Open Font Licence
Source
fonts.google.com/specimen/Outfit
ThinFor display only
Disrupt Imagine Reinvent
100
ExtraLightDisplay, large heading
Disrupt Imagine Reinvent
200
LightHeadlines, leads
Disrupt Imagine Reinvent
300
RegularBody — default
Disrupt Imagine Reinvent
400
MediumLabels, captions
Disrupt Imagine Reinvent
500
SemiBoldUI emphasis
Disrupt Imagine Reinvent
600
BoldStrong inline emphasis
Disrupt Imagine Reinvent
700
ExtraBoldWordmark "DIGGERS"
Disrupt Imagine Reinvent
800
BlackAvoid — heavy for our voice
Disrupt Imagine Reinvent
900

Hierarchy in use

DisplayOutfit Thin · -2.5% tracking
Disrupt the routine.
H1Outfit Light · -1.5% tracking
Ninety years of turning up.
H2Outfit Regular · -0.5% tracking
A space for community, wellness and entertainment.
H3 / LabelOutfit Medium · UPPER · 4% tracking
EAT · DRINK · SWIM · TRAIN · RECOVER
BodyOutfit Light · sentence case · 16px / 1.6
Coogee Diggers is more than just a gym; it's a community hub offering classes, a café and bar, and a welcoming atmosphere for people of all ages and fitness levels.
CaptionOutfit Medium · UPPER · 22% tracking
— Coogee NSW · Est. 1935
09 — Photography Style

Shot like a documentary.

Diggers photography is black-and-white with controlled grain, real members in real environments, and a single yellow accent — usually placed as an editorial type-treatment, not as a colour wash. The result reads more like a magazine feature than a gym ad. Aspirational, but never stock-y.

Athlete / Hero crop
16kg Equipment / Still life
Swim / Movement
Café / Ritual
Community / Group
— 01

Black & white.

Default treatment for all editorial and brand-led imagery. Strong contrast, controlled grain, no warm filters. Colour is reserved for the yellow brand accent.

— 02

Real people.

Members, coaches and staff — not models. We shoot at Diggers, in real classes, in real states. Sweat is a feature, not something to retouch out.

— 03

One yellow per frame.

Yellow appears once per image — usually as a layered headline, dot or rule-line — never as a colour cast across the photo. One spotlight, one frame.

— 04

No stock.

Generic gym-stock and aspirational lifestyle stock are forbidden. If we don't have a Diggers-shot image, we use type-led design instead of generic photography.

10 — Applications

The system in use.

Indicative applications of the brand system across the surfaces where Diggers shows up most: social, OOH/signage, member cards, in-venue, and merchandise.

OOH / 16:8
Ninety years.
Still showing up.
Member card
— No. 04582
A. Patel
Founding
Member.
Est. 1935 · Coogee NSW
Web banner
— Class Drop / Weekly
Train. Eat.
Recover.
Repeat.
View this week's timetable →
Tote / Merch
COOGEE DIGGERS
— G · R · I · T — EST. 1935 —
11 — Digital & Search

Findable. Memorable.

A brand that doesn't show up in search doesn't exist for new audiences. Our digital identity is calibrated for search visibility (managed in partnership with SEO Growth) and for instant brand recognition across the dozen surfaces a prospective member touches before they walk through the door.

— 01

Organic search positioning

We rank for community-led, location-led terms — not generic "best gym" searches. The brand always sits at the intersection of Coogee, community and a service vertical (gym, swim, café, club).

11.7K Monthly impressions
— 02

Page-level brand consistency

Every page on coogeediggers.com.au carries the master mark, the three-word descriptor (Community · Wellness · Entertainment), and the same H1 hierarchy. Sub-brand pages flex content, never identity.

8,080 Active users / mo
— 03

Paid & campaign alignment

Google Ads creative obeys the same visual system as organic surfaces — same Outfit hierarchy, same yellow accent ratio, same voice. Paid is not a "different brand" — it's the same brand asking faster.

1,608 Paid clicks / mo

Search territory we own (and want to keep)

These are the terms we earn the right to rank for through the brand we build — they should never be forced into copy that doesn't sound like Diggers. If we have to twist a sentence to fit a keyword, the brand loses. SEO is downstream of identity, not the other way around.

coogee gym gym coogee coogee diggers randwick gym gym in coogee eastern suburbs gym personal trainer coogee hyrox sydney learn to swim coogee boxing class coogee strength training coogee coogee café coogee club function venue coogee rsl coogee randwick veterans coogee
12 — Governance & Custody

The brand is everyone's job.

This document is the source of truth for the Coogee Diggers brand. Any deviation — for a partner campaign, a one-off event, a sub-brand activation — must be reviewed and approved by the brand custodian before it ships. If it's not in this book, it's not the brand.

Custodian

The brand custodian holds approval rights on logo lock-ups, palette deviations, sub-brand creation, partner co-branding, and all paid creative.

Review cycle

This document is reviewed every twelve months. Minor updates (palette tokens, app screenshots) ship as decimal revisions; structural changes require board sign-off.

Asset library

All approved master files (SVG, EPS, PNG, font files, photography) live in the central Diggers brand drive. Never rebuild — always download.

Community.
Wellness.
Entertainment.

Three words have done the heavy lifting for ninety years. They still do. Every decision we make — what we open, who we hire, what we serve, who we welcome — comes back to one of them.

The Venue

  • 2 Byron Street
  • Coogee NSW 2034
  • (02) 9665 4466
  • coogeediggers.com.au

This Document

  • Version 2.0
  • 2026 Edition
  • Internal & Partner Use
  • Prepared in collaboration with the Diggers team
— Disrupt. Imagine. Reinvent. Est. 1935.