The circular economy has become a growing economic model. To understand the role of circular design in this transition, design research has explored its application to the circular economy. However, the contributions made have given greater emphasis to technological and management issues. Taking into account the ontological basis of design, it becomes important to understand the role of the aesthetic and symbolic dimensions of design in the context of the circular economy. Two large-scale projects were analysed, involving various entities such as industry, academia, and design studios, which had as their principle an emphasis on the aesthetic and symbolic qualities of artefacts. These projects were selected through semi-structured interviews with at least one project representative. To analyse the projects, a framework developed by Folkmann was applied, which directly analyses the aesthetic contributions of the artefacts and indirectly their symbolic contributions. This analysis allowed us to understand the artefacts and their contributions in a sensorial, contextual, and conceptual way, offering a comprehensive view of the role of aesthetics and the symbolic dimension in the transition to a circular economy and sustainability.