1. A method for designing a lithographic mask, comprising: providing an intended pattern comprising a plurality of structural features, wherein the plurality of structural features is characterized by one or more numerical parameters related to a shape or a position of the structural features; producing a mask design of a lithographic mask suitable for printing the intended pattern and one or more simulated patterns printed through the mask design; producing a lithographic mask according to the mask design; printing a pattern through the lithographic mask produced according to the mask design; and performing a verification of the printed pattern, wherein performing the verification of the printed pattern comprises: determining contours of at least a portion of the structural features in the printed pattern; and determining, on the contours, values of the one or more numerical parameters and comparing the values of the one or more numerical parameters on the contours to values of the one or more numerical parameters in the intended pattern or to values of the one or more numerical parameters in one or more of the simulated patterns.