A compressed symbology strain gage includes a target in the form of a symbolic strain rosette ("SSR"), the target being associated with a body for which strain is to be measured and being adapted to emit a detectable physical quantity; a sensor compatible with and adapted to pre-process the detectable physical quantity emitted by the target and output data representing the physical quantity adapted to receive signals from the target and provide output signals based thereon; a computer program or programs for analyzing the signals data output by the sensor to define the SSR; and for calculating the strain directly on the body based on the pre-processed and analyzed data. The SSR can be defined either a priori by manufacture or a posteriori by identification. A method of measuring strain on an object using the compressed symbology strain gage includes the steps of associating a SSR with an object in such a way that deformation of the SSR and deformation under load of the object bear a one-to-one relationship; identifying the changes in the SSR as a function of time and change in the load applied to the object; and translating the changes in the SSR into strain.