The key to really good productions in any DAW is to master the automation tools. AudioTuts posted today a really good simple introduction tutorial to automation in Logic which I recommend to read in case you are not sure about how it all works.
One big reason I like automation is that I could do far more precise and interesting audio edits and mixes using that compared with using a mixer desk. I could specify all kinds of contours with the effects, panning, volumes, synths and so forth. You might even take any existing production and go through it using automation in unexpected places to make a very different track — for example adding huge reverb swells here and there, or turn a voice into a phone or megaphone sound here and there with clever EQ automation.
There’s also the school of thought related to de-essing; instead of using de-essing plug-ins and tools, find in the voice tracks any locations where the siblings sound bad and just turn down the volume envelope for those cases for a short time. Yes, it’s time consuming but provides much better results than using plug-ins that make a logical guess and do a rough job.
You might even go that far to even avoid compression and use volume automation to even out the volume levels. It might be handy for acoustic music and styles where compression artifacts would colorize the sound. Now, in today’s pop and electronic music, the listener expects huge amounts of compression so this might not be a solution unless you want to sound different.